Small businesses could save time and money by ensuring workers have advanced word processing skills, according to new research which claims that a touch-typing employee can save up to ten hours per week.
New businesses, often working with a core workforce, could gain up to 21 days of productivity per year by improving typing skills, the research from the British Computer Society (BCS) suggests.
The findings seem to support recent research from E-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for IT and telecoms, which revealed an increase in the ICT skills gap, and found that the impact of these gaps on UK businesses reached the highest level recorded in a year.
Pete Bayley, BCS director of qualification products said: “When you consider that the average manager deals with an average of 52 emails a day, being able to touch type responses could significantly reduce the 1.7 hours a day this task takes, leaving the manager more time to work on other projects.”
The British Computer Society has developed a new user qualification called e-type, which is recognized on the National Qualifications Framework. It is designed to increase keyboard skill levels and enable employees to draw attention to their typing skills on their CVs.
“Employees who touch type increase productivity and efficiency and because of their more ergonomic use of the keyboard are less likely to be at risk from RSI or neck strain,” added Bayley.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2006