Atlassian report finds 25 billion work hours lost to poor teamwork

Atlassian has released the findings from its latest State of Teams 2024 report, revealing that 25 billion work hours are lost annually to ineffective collaboration. The report underscores that while the nature of work has evolved, many workers continue to rely on outdated and fragmented work practices.

According to the report, a significant portion of the workforce struggles with notification overload and excess meetings. Specifically, 63% of survey respondents feel overwhelmed by the number of notifications and messages they receive daily. Moreover, 68% prioritise responding quickly to messages over making progress on their top priorities.

The study also highlighted issues related to goal setting and information sharing. 74% of respondents believe that having fewer, more specific goals would make it easier to make progress. Additionally, 54% reported instances where they worked on projects only to find out later that another team was working on the same task.

Annie Dean, Global Head of Team Anywhere at Atlassian, commented on the findings: "Modern teams are more global, online, and overwhelmed than ever before. We know that great teamwork isn't a product of great software alone. Great teams develop consistent practices and constantly improve how they work."

The report indicates that about half of the time spent working could be utilised more effectively. Many teams are dedicating excessive time to planning and discussing work rather than engaging in effective collaboration. The tendency to fall back on ineffective work behaviours—such as scheduling meetings to gather information, reacting instantaneously to messages to demonstrate productivity, and prioritising low-impact work—remains prevalent.

Another significant insight from the report is that most teams are uncertain about how to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into their daily tasks. While 68% agree on the importance of AI, only 15% realise that it can be used for key tasks like finding information. Dean emphasised, "Our results show that high-performing teams build the right foundations for teamwork by making time to improve their processes, practices, and tools."

The report calls attention to the need for teams to develop consistent practices and continually refine how they work. The findings suggest that making these improvements could help mitigate the loss of billions of work hours due to ineffective collaboration.