Asana's survey of 2,000 employees found that 47% had experienced the frustration of regularly being taken off a project before the work is finished. One in four (23%) said they spend more time organising and re-organising their work rather than actually getting it done.
Larger companies were more likely to be disorganised, with half (53%) of people working for businesses with more than 500 employees spending half their day organising and reorganising their work, and a similar number (54%) of those in businesses with 50 to 500 employees, compared with 36% of those in companies with under 50 employees.
Chris Farinacci, head of business at Asana, warned of the damage these inefficiencies could be doing. “Today, even at the world’s greatest companies, there are still constant challenges to keeping everyone on the same page, and way too much time is spent on 'work about work' instead of getting work done,” he said. “Information overload combined with a lack of clarity has led to these poor working habits, and it’s now outright limiting the productivity and morale of UK business teams and employees.”
Increasing salaries might not be the answer to retaining staff if they are dissatisfied with their role, according to separate research from Robert Half UK. This poll of 2,000 adults found that three in 10 (31%) would be willing to take a pay cut in order to secure their dream role.
Phil Sheridan, managing director for Robert Half UK, South America and the Middle East, said employers should be looking beyond salary when it comes to attraction and retention. “Rather than just competing on salary alone, many businesses are looking beyond pay and at the full remuneration package they can offer to keep staff engaged,” he said.
“When attracting candidates to work for their organisation, businesses are increasingly needing to sell the career potential, the employer brand and the organisation's culture at the same time. Alongside offering competitive salaries, there is also a focus on rewards that contribute to creating a happy, blended workforce and a greater sense of satisfaction at work.”
