Asana, [1] a leading work management platform for teams, today released its Anatomy of Work Index, delivering an in-depth analysis on how time is spent in the modern office. Globally, survey respondents reflected spending 60% of their day on coordination, such as communicating about project status, searching for information, and managing shifting priorities, rather than on the skilled job they've been hired to do. 

The Anatomy of Work Index was conducted by Sapio Research on behalf of Asana to better understand how employees are spending their time, the factors shaping their habits, and how organizations can more effectively manage individual and team processes. Asana and Sapio Research co-designed the questionnaire and surveyed the behaviors and attitudes of 10,223 knowledge workers across Australia, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, the U.K., and the U.S.

Anatomy of Work Index Key Findings

• The majority of respondents' time (60%) is spent on work coordination, leaving only 13% for strategic planning and 27% for the skill-based job they were hired to do. 
• Responding to a constant barrage of emails and notifications is the primary reason that nearly one-third of employees regularly log overtime hours, followed by unexpected meetings and chasing people for input or approval. 
• Respondents surveyed believe that nearly two-thirds of meetings are unnecessary.
• Over 10% of an employee's day - 4 hours and 38 minutes per week - is spent on tasks that have already been completed. This amounts to more than 200 hours of duplicated effort and wasted efficiency annually. 
• Less than half (46%) of respondents surveyed clearly understand how their output contributes to the achievement of their organization's objectives and mission.

Additional findings highlight the geographical differences in the modern workplace:

• Unexpected meetings is the primary reason respondents in Australia stay late.
• German employees spend the most time duplicating efforts - over 270 hours a year.
• Only 19% of Japanese respondents are clear on how their output adds value and helps their company achieve its objectives - significantly lower than the global average (46%).
• 68% of U.K. employees are asked to do something that doesn't feel valuable to their business objectives every week - more than any other country surveyed. 
• Over one-third (31%) of respondents in the U.S. cite having too much work to do as their primary source of stress - higher than any other country surveyed.

Reimagining the Way We Work 

Across all employees surveyed, an overwhelming 83% believe their team isn't as effective as they could be due to not having the right processes in place to manage and streamline their collective efforts. However, among respondents who believe their organization is set up for efficiency, they're more than three times as likely to feel inspired to meet their goals and be proud of their output. In addition, 64% of organizations who use work management software say their company is set up for tasks