UK employees lose nine hours a week seeking information

UK workers are reportedly spending more than a full working day each week searching for information, according to Atlassian's recent research on workplace productivity.

The report highlights that an overwhelming 64% of UK employees feel their workloads are more intense than ever before. This perception is being compounded by difficulties in communication between teams, leading to wasted time and unnecessary duplication of efforts.

Dr Molly Sands, Head of Teamwork Labs at Atlassian, emphasised the implications of these findings: "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. As teams become more cross-functional, the inability to quickly access information is creating bottlenecks that slow progress. 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."

One of the striking findings of the report is that UK workers waste an average of nine hours each week locating the necessary information to perform their duties. Additionally, nearly half of their workweek is spent on "busy work," such as sharing details, tracking colleagues, and resolving misunderstandings, rather than focusing on mission-critical activities.

This misallocation of effort is further driven by how workers source information. Over 53% of employees believe the only way to obtain the information they require is by consulting their colleagues or arranging meetings. Consequently, 55% of employees experience delays as their work remains blocked while awaiting information from others, with collaboration challenges being cited by 34% of those surveyed as a factor that slows down task completion.

Cross-team collaboration issues have been identified as a major productivity roadblock, with more than half of employees reporting a duplication of work, performing the same tasks as other teams without realising it.

Notwithstanding these challenges, where teams have clear collaboration processes in place, notable benefits have been observed with 89% affirming they are capable of meeting tight deadlines when required.

The report also explores the role of artificial intelligence in enhancing workplace productivity and collaboration. An encouraging 59% of respondents believe AI will enhance the speed and quality of their team's work, while 43% feel AI is helping them to be better teammates. However, the effective integration of AI into the workplace requires adequate training, with 67% of UK workers expressing a need for improved proficiency in using AI tools.

In search of a solution to the nation's collaboration challenges, the report suggests that a standardised set of processes and tools across organisations could streamline operations, as evidenced by 40% of UK workers advocating for uniformity in how teams execute their tasks, and 30% in favour of synchronising the tools used across teams.

Furthermore, 69% of the UK workforce perceive that clear goals and strategies would simplify their ability to support business objectives, pointing towards the importance of a unified approach in addressing strategic alignment challenges.