Home working with poor broadband costs UK £60bn per year
Working from home with a poor broadband connection is costing the UK’s economy £60bn per year, according to a recent research.
Figures from software company Actual Experience showed that technical issues with broadband – including delays and call dropouts – have led to an average loss of £1,000 per worker.
IT issues created problems especially in the City, as it led to pricing errors when moving assets worth millions, the Sunday Telegraph first reported.
“Many people suffer from flawed access to the digital world,” Actual Experience’s chief executive Dave Page told the outlet.
“This digital friction is costing UK businesses and the economy vast sums of money every year.”
“Often these problems are easily resolved, but it requires companies and employees to know precisely what is causing the friction.
The company has called on the government to guarantee tax breaks to companies that install fast and secure connections in their employees’ homes as the problem is set to increase as more people maintain their hybrid or remote working habits post-pandemic.
According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people working from home has more than doubled in the last three years, going up from 4.7 million in late 2019 to 9.9 million in early 2022.