One of the ills that the workers attributed to teleworking was that the limits were diluted between working time and leisure time. However, A recent study De Microsoft has revealed that this phenomenon has also reached the offices and more and more workers feel that the Workday never ends and that the real disconnection is a luxury unattainable.
33% are focused on exhaustion. Microsoft has put figures to this phenomenon: one in three employees You can no longer keep up Tax for the current dynamics of work imposed in the last five years, regardless of the type of day you have.
Microsoft’s study is based on millions of anonymized data obtained from the use of Microsoft 365. Its authors warn that “we are trapped in a seemingly infinite workday.” This situation not only It affects productivity day to day, but increases the exhaustion and anxiety Among the workers.
A Post Tsunami. The study data suggest that 40% of employees connected at six in the morning begin their day reviewing the mail to establish priorities during the rest of the day. On average, each worker receives 117 posts a day and most are processed in less than 60 seconds. The problem that reveals is that the information they transmit It is not relevant For the employee.
In addition, the mass emails sent to more than 20 recipients have increased by 7% in the last year, while personalized conversations have fallen by 5%. This indicates an increase in “digital noise” that hinders communication management (the really useful) and The concentration.
Meetings at the worst moment. Productivity is especially affected by the amount of interruptionsbut also for the poor management of meetings. The study indicates that 50% of all meetings are scheduled between 9 and 11 in the morning and between 13 and 15 hours in the afternoon.
According to A published study in Harvard Business Reviewtaking into account the Circadian rhythmsit is precisely in that time strip when the natural peak of productivity for most people occurs. That is, the most productive moment of the day is being used for the most unproductive task.
Following this line, the study reveals that Tuesdays have become the most saturated day of meetings (23% of the weekly total), while Fridays only represent 16%. In addition, 57% of the meetings are improvised and one in ten is scheduled at the last minute.
The triple peak day. The constant interruptions During the work day D gives rise to a phenomenon that Microsoft has already detected In previous studies: the phenomenon of “Triple Pico“, which has now become the general norm. This phenomenon describes a peak of productivity and use of office tools about 10 in the morning, another about 15 hours in the afternoon and a last peak from 8 pm in the afternoon.
The study reveals that meetings after 8 in the afternoon They have increased 16% in the last year. On the other hand, Microsoft has detected an increase in the use of its tools beyond 18 hours. That is, many employees take advantage of digital noise reduction At the end of the day To concentrate on their main tasks, increasing the use of office tools and reducing the messaging. This trend only aggravates the feeling of Never have a real free time.
A little look to the mail. The inability to disconnect is evident in the fact that almost 20% of employees review their job mail before noon on Saturday and Sunday. More than 5% reviewed a second time beyond 18 hours on Sunday or on holidays, extending the work week to the rest days.
Microsoft telemetry reveals that, during the weekend, the use of office applications is increased, indicating that employees use that rest time for work concentrated and without the distractions they find during their workday.
Image | Unspash (Jakub żerdzicki)
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