TranslateDid you know that managers use an average of 10 apps a day? Between communication, meetings, and basic work tasks, employees are using multiple apps in their typical work day. This has become normalized, especially after the pandemic where more people were working remotely, but this constant switching between apps can actually decrease overall productivity.
When employees are using multiple different apps to complete their daily tasks,it causes major disruptions in their workflow. Each time an employee is interrupted it can take up to 23 minutes to regain focus, taking a significant chunk of time out of their workday. All of these disruptions can lead to an overall 40% loss in productivity, and makes employees jobs more difficult in the long run. 21% of employees become less efficient at their job, and 17% admit they work longer hours to make up for the lack of efficiency.
Some of the most used workplace applications are meeting rooms. 77% of remote workers use video conferencing software, and while remote meetings have become routine in most companies, they can lead to a lack of productivity. 71% of employees waste time every week due to unnecessary meetings. Since remote meetings are more simple to schedule, employees make the argument that many of these meetings are not needed and waste valuable time. The more meetings during the day, the less time employees have to work, and 35% of employees report they have to attend multiple remote meetings each week.
Remote meetings can be necessary, but even when they are they can still lead to wasted time. 42% of employees do not contribute during these meetings, making even necessary meetings unproductive. In fact, about 31 hours are wasted monthly in unproductive meetings. Even in productive meetings, 40% of employees waste up to 30 minutes trying to find the link to the meeting and they can spend nearly 11 minutes waiting for the meeting to start.
Spending so much time in front of the screen, especially when it is unproductive, can be exhausting. 49% of employees state that being on camera makes them feel more exhausted. 23% of American remote workers report their Zoom fatigue being higher than ever with the constant app switching and remote meetings. Remote workers have to work harder emotionally to deal with a perceived lack of personal space from so many faces on their screen, as well as work harder to decipher tone and inflection since they don’t work with people face to face.
Remote work has become more normal in the past few years, and it doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon, so it is important to make remote workers feel seen and appreciated. Creating a space in which remote workers can feel part of a group while also being able to complete all their tasks and engage in meetings is imperative. Making a space for all of these workplace behaviors could reduce the amount of Zoom fatigue as well as increase the overall productivity that has been lost in the switch to remote work. To learn more about how to create a productive workspace for remote workers, take a look at the infographic below:
