Leadership

Our workplaces are full of distractions. These are some of the worst

People wait in line to enter the Nassau County Mega Job Fair at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, New York October 7, 2014. U.S. job openings rose to their highest level in more than 13 years in August even as hiring fell, the U.S. Department of Labor said. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT) - RTR49ANN

Workers estimated they spend just 38% of their week doing their primary job. Image: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Thomas Colson
Digital Fellow, Business Insider
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A new survey of British workers has revealed some of the problems that underpin the UK's chronic productivity problem — namely, too many emails and meetings.

The UK State of Work report, by productivity specialistsWorkfront, found that workers spend less than 40% of the day actually doing their primary duties, due to a culture of excessive meetings and emails.

The UK lags behind many other European countries in terms of productivity, and boosting it is seen as a central means of improving a stagnant economy. Philip Hammond, the UK chancellor, referred to the productivity problem several times in his speech at the Conservative party's conference this week.

The Workfront survey was conducted among 600 UK adults who work at a company of over 500 people. Here are some of the highlights from the report:

Workers estimated they spend just 38% of their week doing their primary job.

 Please give a best guess estimate for what percentage of your work is taken up by each of the following
Image: Workfront

Workers are at their least productive between midday and 3pm — the post-lunch lull will be familiar in many offices.

 When are you most and least productive?
Image: Workfront

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, Brits count themselves as very productive...

 How strongly do you agree or disagree?
Image: Workfront

...and everyone thinks they're far more productive than they're colleagues. Obviously, that can't be true.

 How would you rate the following groups overall with regard to their productivity?
Image: Workfront

There are numerous barriers to high productivity, according to staff, but the biggest culprit is email.

Image: Workfront

Although workers object to ineffective meetings, they are also seen as an effective means of communication.

Image: Workfront

When it comes to solutions, workers think uninterrupted blocks of time would be the best means of improving productivity.

 Improving work productivity
Image: Workfront
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