Tech failure has been cited as the most common workplace irritation.

Tech failure has been cited as the most common workplace irritation.

Some 53 per cent of small business managers identify technology problems, including incompatibility issues, outdated hardware and email overload as the biggest frustration in the office, according to a study of more than 500 company leaders by ABN AMRO Commercial Finance.

Respondents are also annoyed by growing smartphone addiction and the resulting lack of interaction between staff.

While the majority (61 per cent) agree that modern technology has improved productivity and efficiency at work, almost a third (32 per cent) still believe that it has created more problems than it has solved.

More than half (55 per cent) of younger managers aged 25-44 are more stressed in their current role than they were five years ago, with almost a third of this group finding the workplace more annoying than they did five years ago due to advances in the technology used.

The older generation is more concerned with the lack of face-to-face interaction caused by technology in the workplace, with 44 per cent of over-55s finding this to be an issue. Only 29 per cent of managers aged 25 to 44 find a lack of interaction to be a problem.

ABN AMRO Commercial Finance director Gary Hurry says, ‘The workplace has changed hugely, even in the last five years. Smartphones, tablets, social media and other technology have increased our productivity but also raised stress levels and created a host of potential irritations.

‘In today’s climate, small annoyances like this can be brought into sharp relief and even get in the way of the day-to-day running of companies. It’s important that business heads don’t let these modern irritations stop them tackling the things that really matter to business success.’

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