Why a brand new strategy to work may prevent from burnout
The pandemic has forced organizations of all sizes to rethink the way they work. A year of remote work has brought some advantages, but also brought countless challenges – including longer working hours, missed deadlines and an increased risk of burnout.
Based on a survey of 13,000 professionals, Asana's Anatomy of Work Index 2021 examines how these issues have impacted creatives and other knowledge workers around the world, and presents some solutions for how businesses can thrive in a hybrid future.
ESCAPE FROM ADMIN OVERLOAD
Asana's survey shows that in 2020 we spent up to 60% of our time coordinating the workday, leaving only 40% to apply our creative and strategic skills. An increase in “work on work” – meetings, check-ins, research, and general administration – has hurt productivity.
The right structuring of meetings and the clear definition of goals help to keep things structured and open and transparent despite the physical distance
"Planning and executing jobs takes a lot more work when you're not in the same room," confirms Gemma Ballinger, managing director of London-based design agency Output. "It was a lot more intense."
There is too much hunting, too many messages to reply to, and just too much work, ultimately. Globally, more than a quarter of the deadlines per week were missed in 2020. One worrying trend is the increase in duplication of work: According to the report, in 2020, due to a lack of clarity about who owns which task, up to 13% of the working day was spent on tasks already done by another person – down from 10% in 2019.
Clarity is the key. By aligning all workflows with a unified productivity tool like Asana, teams can plan, organize, and prioritize. "The right structuring of meetings and clear objectives help to ensure that things remain structured and yet open and transparent despite the physical distance," adds Maddie Fortescue, Chief People Officer of the global creative agency Moving Brands, the studios in London, Zurich, San Francisco and New York operates. "Despite the strange circumstances, we kept to the same rituals and behaviors."
WORK LATE TO LATE
Almost 90% of respondents around the world worked an average of two hours more per day, with half saying that overwork is the main factor behind burnout.
Working late in the UK is a particular problem: 86% of respondents admit it, up from 78% in 2019. According to the Anatomy of Work Index 2021, greater clarity about the roles and responsibilities of the workplace could save the average person nearly 300 hours per day Year.
When something needs to be outside of business hours, we always recognize a person's willingness to be flexible and emphasize the need to regain time
After a busy year with long hours becoming a problem, Output tackled the late-work culture directly by changing the mindset of the entire studio and placing more emphasis on reaching project milestones while being more flexible with individual hours Dealing with people.
"We gave everyone a day off and set back with these new working hours and ways of working when we got back," explains Ballinger. "People are seeing the benefits, especially now that they can actually get out and make the most of their weekends."
With four offices in multiple time zones, Moving Brands works hard to meet working hours at each location. "When something needs to be outside of business hours, we always recognize a person's willingness to be flexible and emphasize the need to win back time," says Fortescue. "We trust people to manage this themselves, but if they don't, we are not afraid to step in to encourage self-sufficiency."
Break off these unnecessary sessions
Remote work teams may have had fewer impromptu conversations, but this has not resulted in shorter work days. Instead of occasional chats at the desk and quick questions, there were more and more unnecessary video conferences, which, according to Asana's report, cost the average employee more than 150 hours of productive working time.
If you've been in meetings all morning, you don't feel like you've accomplished anything by lunch
Collaborative tools that make conversations more fluid during the day can help – and reduce the need to schedule fixed windows for discussion in a formal meeting. Moving Brands and Output both use Slack, one of many tools that can be built into Asana. "While it's not the same thing as asking a coworker in the open studio, if you have three or more opinions, it worked really well," explains Fortescue.
Ballinger advocates that every meeting counts. In addition to the regular kick-offs on Monday, she would like to limit the all-team meetings at Output to the afternoons. "If you've been in meetings all morning, you don't feel like you've accomplished anything by lunch," she explains. To stay connected, the team often works together in Figma, another Asana-compatible tool.
LOOK AT EVERY HEALTH
Asana's research also shows that nearly 80% of people who took on a new role in the pandemic reported imposter syndrome, as well as nearly 60% of people who were already employed. Burnout is another major concern: in the UK, 75% of respondents have experienced it in some form.
"It was difficult for our team, especially for the less experienced," says Ballinger. “They really missed being with each other. It is important to be in contact with each individual as much as possible: regular work reviews, feedback and debriefing so that it is clear what is needed and how it is being received. "
Moving Brands has a mental health support program that includes free access to outside telephone counseling when needed. "A mental health day should be treated the same as a day off for any other illness," added Fortescue.
Find the perfect balance
As organizations around the world ponder how they can learn from last year and adapt over the longer term, Asana's Anatomy of Work Index 2021 makes it clear that less “work over work” will increase productivity and reduce stress across the board.
Less than half of those surveyed around the world said they were “optimistic” about the coming year, falling to just 39% in the UK. However, over two-thirds believe that having clear work management processes will help them meet their goals in 2021.
Whether it's being honest about which meetings are unnecessary, streamlining processes, or being more flexible to accommodate different work patterns, organizations need to build a supportive, people-centric culture that promotes healthy productivity, too if professional and personal boundaries continue to blur we all become blurred.
Download the full global version of Asana's Anatomy of Work Index 2021 here