Is busywork on the job bringing you down? Some American workers say they’re drowning in it, according to a new survey. And it’s not only zapping productivity and adding to stress, it’s actually pushing some to quit.
The poll of 2-thousand white collar and knowledge workers and 1-thousand IT decision makers finds that they’re losing half of their work day doing “tedious, low-value” tasks, like managing emails, copying and pasting, and data entry.
- This isn’t just boring, 85% say these repetitive tasks are one of the biggest contributors to burnout.
- One in three workers have considered quitting a job over outdated or frustrating tech and 33% admit their current work technology is stressing them out.
- Mundane tasks are triggering stress four times a week, on average, adding up to more than 200 times a year. And their workplace technology interrupts their focus about three times a week.
- More than three-quarters (76%) of IT decision makers agree that their company’s employees are wasting too much time on menial work.
- Only 37% of workers feel their employer is giving them the right tools to do their best work and succeed.
The Top Time Drains on the Job, According to Workers:
- Writing emails (31%)
- Data management (25%)
- Catching up on team communications (22%)
- Digging through and organizing files or emails (18%)
- Managing calendars and meetings (16%)
- Reporting (15%)
- Troubleshooting tech issues (14%)
- Filling out forms, like timesheets and expense reports (14%)
Source: Talker