Shadow Admin: A Morale-Sapping Issue
According to a survey by Perk, a travel and spend management platform, 76% of UK employees spend a significant portion of their working week on admin tasks, leading to reduced morale and increased burnout.
Workers lose an average of 9 hours a week, nearly a quarter of a 40-hour week, to "shadow work", and 12 minutes of focus every time they switch back to core tasks.
- Planning and managing business travel
- Filing expense claims
- Handling team admin
- Managing workplace facilities
- Organising events
These tasks keep workers from their key responsibilities, with 50% of UK employees identifying shadow work as the biggest driver of burnout, and 52% reporting that it negatively affects their job satisfaction.
Shadow work reduces morale and increases burnout.
Author's summary: Workers waste a quarter of their week on admin tasks.