UK workers are spending more than one day per week tracking down information

• Two in three UK workers are more overwhelmed at work than before
• We spend nearly half our days doing ‘busy work’
• Workers call for clearer processes and more AI

New research from Atlassian has revealed that Britain’s workers are spending an average of nine hours per week tracking down information, which equates to more than an entire typical working day.

This comes as nearly two in three (64%) UK workers feel more overwhelmed than before, with poor collaboration practices contributing to widespread workplace burnout and stress.

The research reveals exactly how much time is wasted on non-productive tasks, highlighting the immense scope for improvement that could dig the UK and other nations out of their productivity crises.

This is how much time we’re spending on meaningless tasks

According to the stats, nearly half (48%) of our time is spent on so-called ‘busy work’, which includes sharing information and tracking people down. Assuming a typical 40-hour working week, that’s more than 19 hours every single week spent being unproductive.

The problem stems from poor collaboration setups in workplaces – 55% agreed that their work is blocked while waiting for information from other teams, and 44% find it hard to coordinate with other teams. One in three (34%) feel that cross-team collaborations slow down work.

This breakdown in communication is causing further inefficiencies, with more than half unknowingly working on the same task as other teams, resulting in unnecessary duplication.

On the flip side, Atlassian says that teams with clear collaboration processes can meet tight deadlines, with the report revealing how artificial intelligence can plug some of the gaps that exist today.

Workers believe AI can make them a better teammate (43%), improve work speed and quality (59%) and help them more effectively manage information (67%), but AI isn’t a silver bullet. Many also call for clearer goals and strategy (69%), consistent processes across teams (40%) and standardized collaboration tools (30%).

“This research highlights a critical issue in the modern workplace: the systems designed to support employees are not keeping pace with the increasing demands of work… This 'digital hide-and-seek' not only wastes time but also stifles creativity and innovation, as employees are forced to focus on administrative tasks rather than high-impact Work,” concluded Dr Molly Sands, Head of Teamwork Labs at Atlassian.

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