Handheld technology in classrooms has come a long way since the introduction of calculators nearly fifty years ago. The number of smartphones used by Aussie teenagers has grown to over 90% as of 2016.[1]

This rise of technology has profoundly impacted the daily lives of all education professionals, but perhaps none more than teachers and IT staff. From CIOs to education technology (edtech) specialists, school technology staff is facing growing cybersecurity threats and increased student data privacy concerns along with the digitisation of curriculum. Add to that the fact that many IT workers are taking on more responsibilities than ever before with fewer resources and you have a recipe for more stress and employee dissatisfaction across a variety of industries:

• 46% of IT workers consider their job stressful, 18% report their job was more stressful this year than the previous year.[2]
• 65% of IT and security professionals consider quitting due to burnout.[3]
• 36% of CIOs interviewed said bigger workloads are the greatest source of stress for their teams, 22% cited the pace of new technology as the most significant stressor.[4]

Finding a way to juggle increased workloads while reducing frustration may be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Let’s explore three key ways IT staff can decrease stress levels by guarding the privacy of student and personal data, making daily workflows and processes more efficient, and increasing awareness and recognition.

Stay Ahead of Cybersecurity Threats and Data Privacy Protection

41% of cyber security incidents in education are due to lost and stolen mobile devices. As the use of technology in schools increases, the critical oversight of not protecting your devices when not in use can create painful hassles for IT staff. It’s essential to protect your students and your school by securing devices with both digital security and physical security when not in use.

PC Locs Solution: Implementing durable, secure charging stations will protect devices and increase student data privacy. Not to mention decrease costs. As careful as educators try to be with their hardware, 10% of mobile devices break or go missing in the first year of a smart classroom deployment. A centralised point of secure charging helps schools provide a repository for tablets and laptops, reducing breakage and loss as well as provide protection for data, so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.

Help Manage a Bigger Workload with Fewer Employees

In a time of budget challenges and cutbacks, increasing staff is a costly way to manage the extra workload of your school’s IT department. Also, simply asking your team to work faster and harder won’t solve your problems, and will lead to more stress and dissatisfaction.

PC Locs Solution: Many school-owned smartphones and tablets will inevitably need repair or maintenance during the school year. Get devices back in the hands of the student faster—and save your tech teams serious time with PC Locs carts and stations, which can be set up in one-third of the time of traditional systems. Also, by designating a smart charging locker as a device repair drop point, you’ll eliminate slow, manual processes by streamlining maintenance and your loaner device program. As a bonus, admins can monitor and record the activity of the lockers, which reduces the need for extra human capital to manage this workflow. These scenarios lighten IT staff workload and keep the day on track.

Show Your Support and Appreciation

In its research, Jobsite found that 67% of IT professionals felt that colleagues did not appreciate the complexity of their work.[5]

PC Locs Solution: If technical support team members are only brought in when something goes wrong, that means their best work is likely going unnoticed by teachers and the administration. It’s essential to raise awareness about the evolving role of the technology department as technology enablers. One way to increase recognition is to bring IT staff and teachers together to collaborate on tech initiatives.

Sources:

[1] 9 in 10 Aussie teens now have a mobile – Roy Morgan

[2] IT Salary Survey 2017: Highlights – Computerworld

[3] Improving the Effectiveness of the SOC – Ponemon Institute

[4] Workplace Stress Increases Tension for IT Workers – Government Technology

[5] Office workers don’t appreciate the complexities facing IT staff – ComputerWeekly.com