Research conducted by two separate resume services providers suggests that common employer practices or policies are a drain on workers’ productivity.
More than half (51%) of the 1,130 U.S. employees surveyed in November by Resume Now said they’re frequently bogged down in “busy work.” More than a third (37%) of those polled reported that busy work — defined as tasks that create the appearance of productivity without contributing to meaningful results — constitutes 25-50% of their daily workload. An additional 10% said more than half of their daily work is busy work.
The challenge for corporate executives is to understand that the prevalence of such low-level work can have real financial implications, even if they’re difficult to isolate. “Busy work leaves employees feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, often leading to disengagement and burnout,” Resume Now wrote in its Productivity Drain Report. Employees were advised to focus on high-impact tasks, develop efficiency skills and seek clarity on expectations to reduce unnecessary work.
Pointing to an additional productivity killer, 44% of those polled said they have experienced multiple abandoned projects without explanation, according to the report.
Abandoned projects not only waste valuable resources; they also signal deeper issues with organizational planning and prioritization, Resume Now wrote.
Further, 54% of the workers said they don’t have sufficient power to address these inefficiencies within their organizations. Only 46% of respondents said they believe their employers actively support improvements to processes and efficiency.
The other survey, from MyPerfectResume, asked employees about their feelings regarding working remotely and the increasing return-to-office (RTO) mandates.
Among the 1,044 participants, who were polled in January, 39% reported being most productive when working remotely, compared with 25% who said they feel most productive on-site. Overall, 54% of employees said they find remote or hybrid collaboration more effective than in-office collaboration. And 75% reported being more creative working remotely.
Yet a majority (51%) of respondents said they believe companies are pushing for RTO in a bid to boost productivity. Almost as many (50%) said getting workers back to the office is an attempt to control them.
“The disconnect between employer narratives and employee perceptions highlights a critical trust gap,” wrote in its Remote Work Divide Report. “Employers may need to reevaluate their justifications for RTO policies to align with worker expectations.”
So strongly did survey participants feel about RTO that half (51%) of them said they’d quit their job if faced with a non-negotiable RTO mandate. An additional 40% said they’d actively search for remote jobs. Only 9% said they would return to the office without issue.
Asked about President Trump’s RTO order for federal workers, survey-takers overwhelmingly (77%) said they support remote or hybrid options for such workers.
