With more people shopping online and others using internet companies in the run up to Christmas, the plight of IT support workers at small businesses in IT has been explored.

A recent study of 1,410 workers by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that IT workers have the "least sociable" hours of all Britons, with four in five continuing to graft after 19:00 GMT at least three times a week.

Journalists are a close second, with two-thirds saying they expected to be busy beyond 19:00 GMT in the coming month.

Mark Pearson, the founder of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, said that workers at small businesses in IT are often the "unsung heroes" of the office and put in the hours before and after other workers are in the workplace.

"The majority of companies couldn't operate without the maintenance provided by in-house and agency IT workers, and the sad fact is that many companies will also need them on standby throughout the festive period to ensure that all runs smoothly," he added.

It follows news that unscrupulous IT workers would steal data if it meant that it could be used to benefit them, according to Cyber-Ark.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).