These findings shine a light on a hidden time drain in modern workplaces – and underscore the opportunity to reclaim focus, flow and more meaningful work through smarter tools and processes.

The survey of full and part-time office workers across the UK, Germany, France, and the US uncovers the biggest pain points of modern work and what employees truly need to feel productive beyond merely checking off their to-do lists. The findings reveal a pressing need for change, particularly as AI offers unprecedented capabilities to drive these much-needed efficiencies.

We need more space for creative work

Creative time is a scarce commodity for UK office workers, with less than half (42%) finding enough time in their day for creative work. This scarcity is a global trend, with the UK’s figure slightly below Germany and the US (46%) but comparable to France (41%). The consequence of this limited creative time can result in reduced productivity and diminished employee wellbeing. Additionally, only one-tenth (11%) of UK office workers propose creative ideas a few times per week, while over a third (35%) indicate they feel less creative at work, a figure higher than Germany (28%) and the US (30%).

When looking at time spent on meaningful or impactful work more generally, the picture became even clearer: almost half (45%) of UK office workers spend just 0 to 5 hours per week developing new ideas or solutions. This stark reality, where office workers have little time for creative thought and even less for developing new ideas, not only stifles innovation but also limits opportunities for personal and professional growth.

We’re inundated with never-ending administrative tasks

Almost a quarter of UK office workers (24%) report spending 6-10 hours per week just on administrative tasks, such as emails, scheduling, and document processing. This is a significant portion of the working week dedicated to non-core activities. Beyond general admin, under a fifth (17%) of UK office workers dedicate 6 or more hours a week to strategic meetings and decision-making, a figure that, when combined with the lack of creative time and idea generation, strongly suggests a workforce who has little room for forward-thinking, crucial for long-term success and competitive advantage. 

Perhaps more telling is that even with all that time spent, many workers still don’t feel fully equipped to do their jobs. Only half (51%) of UK workers say they have the resources/tools and time to perform their job effectively. This is a better outlook than France (45%), and the US (where only 26% strongly agree they have the resources and 32% strongly agree they have enough time). This gap between needs and resources is more than a productivity issue – it’s a wellbeing issue that affects morale, retention, and performance.

We need room to focus if we want to have more impact 

When asked what they’d do with an extra hour in their workday, 45% of UK workers would use it to catch up on existing tasks (27%) or reduce their workload to relieve stress (18%). This is a common desire across Europe, with German office workers (47%) and French office workers (38%) also prioritising stress reduction (22%/21%) and catching up (25%/17%). Only some (15%) UK office workers would invest in professional development, and even fewer (8%) would use it for brainstorming or developing new ideas. The overwhelming preference among workers to use extra time for managing existing burdens or alleviating stress, rather than for growth or innovation, reveals a vicious cycle where relentless workloads and mundane tasks erode the capacity and desire for self-development and creative thought.

Empowering individuals to make a real impact requires both adequate time and, critically, having the right tools in place. While approximately a third (32%) of UK workers express openness to AI tools for a modest saving of 0-4 hours weekly, the true potential for efficiency gains appears far greater. A recent internal survey at Dropbox, for instance, revealed that 96% of its employees leverage AI weekly for tasks like information retrieval, brainstorming, coding, documentation, and drafting, resulting in an impressive average saving of 7.9 hours per week.

The data unequivocally points to a need for systemic transformation. Whether it’s adopting new AI tools or embracing flexible working models to empower employees with greater autonomy over their schedules, making space for creativity and strategic thinking starts with understanding how people actually spend their time. 

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