UK 
United States
The vortex of the productivity drain is deep and dark; we’re all guilty of it – the quite tapping of the pencil as our mind whirrs yet is paralysed by inaction, the flicking of the hair as we contemplate the to-do list yet remain calcified with indecision and the constant and irrepressible white noise that fills our life with 24/7 content consumption – there’s a wonder that at times we are capable of just breathing.
I’ve always been fascinated by the chasm between the ‘doers and the don’ters’ – how is it that some people are just on a constant merry-go round of achieving while others are unable to do much? Of course, there is some truth in the desire of it all – after all that’s what drives most human pursuits. Asana’s State of Work Innovation Report shows some worrying findings in that regard – five years after the shift to remote and hybrid work, workers are sinking more time into meaningless tasks than ever, teams are disconnected, and tools are outdated - so who's to blame?
Despite moving the lever towards hybrid working, business processes and behaviours are stuck in the past. The survey of 2,500 workers in the UK shows that only 16% of British workers stick to the once-typical 9-5 workday, 68% now work in a hybrid set-up, and 83% rely on asynchronous communication (not having to be there at the same time). Despite this shift, business processes and behaviours are stuck in the past - with the research revealing four ‘organisational taxes’ that are chipping away at productivity and potential within UK companies.
The capacity tax – ‘overloaded teams pay a price’
The report shows that having flexibility in where and when work gets done has become a priority for most UK workers. However, businesses have since struggled to keep on top of workload management and engagement. ‘The capacity tax is the cost businesses pay due to overloaded teams.’
According to the report, the majority, a huge 72% have felt so overwhelmed with work that they have felt the need to take a day off at least once in the past six months. We all know that there is too much technology, our Teams is pinging as our Slack is winking and our email is exploding with swelling message numbers.
