Asana Study Part II: App Overload and Collaboration Disruptors
It’s that time of year again where we review Asana’s annual Anatomy of Work Global Index to learn about the latest trends impacting knowledge workers around the world. As in years past, the data from the study continues to point to how Glances can reduce the time spent on unskilled tasks so employees can focus on the work they were actually hired to do.
This year’s index surveyed 9,615 knowledge workers worldwide in late 2022. The focus of the study was to examine the outcomes of collaboration within an organization and better understand what factors add to or detract from that collaboration. Read Part I of our series and following along below for Part II.
Another big, ugly disruptor to collaboration is using too many apps and switching back and forth among them. Not only is this behavior mentally exhausting for employees, it can also lead to missed deadlines, duplicated work, and wasted time in general.
So how many apps is too many? Asana’s study found that, “among workers who use more than 16 apps, 25% said they miss messages and actions, compared to 8% using 1–5 apps and 15% using 6–15.” Twenty-three percent of those using 16 or more apps also reported a loss of focus and a reduced attention span due to app-switching, and 26% of them said they were less efficient at work because of juggling apps.
Cassie Holmes, UCLA management professor, explained that it can take significant time to learn new apps, which may very well be wasted time if the app isn’t all that useful to the worker’s primary job duties. "This lost time is painful because we are so sensitive to wasted time," she said. "The research even shows that people experience wasting time as more emotionally painful than wasting money."
It’s no wonder the wasted time is painful—it’s no drop in the bucket! Per Asana’s study, knowledge workers could save an average of 4.9 hours per week if they had improved processes. Even more concerning is the fact that workers using more than 16 apps are wasting 9.6 hours per week on process inefficiencies.
Infographic courtesy of Asana, The Anatomy of Work Global Index 2023
On the whole, inefficiencies in the workplace haven’t changed much compared to last year. Unfortunately, knowledge workers are still spending about the same amount of time on “work about work,” which consumes a whopping 58% of the workday (Skilled work takes up only 33% and strategic work just 9%.).
"When you're moving this fast as an organization, it’s important to be on the same page and have a centralized tool to hold people accountable." – Marc Sietz, Senior Security Program Manager for Zoom
Ditch the disruptions of app overload with one simple tool
Glances securely connects all your business apps, including Asana, Salesforce, QuickBooks, HubSpot, and many others, thereby relieving app overload, improving workflows, centralizing data, and minimizing wasted time.
Because Glances provides a simplified view of the data you need in real time, you can reduce tab-switching and stay working in your platform of choice. In addition, you can use multi-tasking actions to save up to 20 minutes per task! In a nutshell, Glances delivers the simplest way to work.
Start your free trial to connect your favorite business apps and access your data in one easy click from any app or webpage.
More statistics
Last week, we covered Part I of Asana's 2023 workplace study. Curious about comparing the findings from Asana’s studies from previous years? Find our comprehensive reviews below:
2022 Anatomy of Work Index Part I
More helpful steps
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