Today's state of work: The productivity drain
Social media gives us a global forum where anyone can speak their mind. We expect the web to be automated, on demand, and always on -- delivering instant gratification no matter where we are. So why doesn't this apply in the workplace
Enterprises today -- both large and small -- spend significant amounts of time and money on manual administrative work, using emails to onboard new employees or file an IT request for example. But this routine work is creating devastating productivity losses to employees and organisations as a whole. In fact, a recent survey by ServiceNow found that managers spend approximately two days per week on administrative tasks.
Not only is this trend causing managers to be less productive, but is inhibiting organisation's ability to access one of the most crucial avenues to business growth -- innovation.
It's clear -- organisations need to change their approach to administrative tasks. After all, who wouldn't want their work tools to be just as efficient as those applications used in everyday life It seems odd that in an age where companies are so relentlessly focused on cost cutting while increasing productivity, it is so common to waste so much on inefficient processes.
When it comes to thinking about the business impact of today's inefficient work tasks, there are four major areas of concern for managers.
These include:
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Lack of time for strategic initiatives
According to a recent survey by ServiceNow, almost 50 per cent of managers surveyed agreed that administrative work leaves them less time for strategic activities. Not only do companies pay a high price for administrative work itself, they pay a heavy opportunity cost in terms of lost strategic work.
2. Slow administrative processes lead to delays in work activities that depend on them
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Managers are also concerned about how long routine work processes take. It seems that managers spend their time trying to drive administrative processes, but they still do not get the responsiveness they need to move their business forward. For example, work is delayed if a supporting purchase order is not opened in a timely manner, or if a manager's computer is out of commission for too long.
3. Unstructured, manual tools reduce the company's productivity
The survey also found that managers spend an average of 15 hours per week on admin work -- that's two whole days spent on repetitive activities that are necessary to business operations but not core to the job function. These include emailing updates, requesting support services and filling out forms.
Read more:7 ways to increase productivity
The problem with these processes is that they do not drive an end-to-end workflow and only create more holes within the process. Once a manager requests a service, the request is never tracked. As a result, no one is responsible for chasing the issue, whether they are delayed and/or forgotten. It is like having an orchestra with no conductor.
4. Spreadsheets and emails increase the probability of making mistakes.
Falling under the burden of emails and spreadsheets is not uncommon. Not only do these reduce productivity, they also contribute to the potential of making mistakes. Furthermore, managers have to coordinate across four departments on average, only increasing the complexity of the administrative workload.
So how can enterprises get their time back
Enterprises need to look at driving massive efficiencies by automating administrative tasks and consumerising support services. By looking to convert manual processes into more streamlined services and workflows, enterprises can create internal processes that are as simple as the consumer services used at home.
This has the potential to free up millions of hours -- a resource that can focus on business growth and bottom-line profitability instead. As a result, the transformation can lead to a profound competitive advantage, delivering benefits that go far beyond simple cost savings.
David Oakley is managing director, ANZ at ServiceNow