Australian workers overwhelmed by admin, seek AI for relief
New research has found that Australian knowledge workers spend significantly more time on administrative tasks and meetings than on strategic or creative work.
The "2025 Momentum at Work Report" surveyed more than 1,000 Australian full-time employees, among over 6,000 participants globally, and revealed that for every one hour and 42 minutes spent on what the report calls 'momentum work'-work that drives innovation-employees devote six hours to 'maintenance work', such as meetings, emails, and routine paperwork.
Imbalance impacts productivity
The report highlights mounting concerns among employees about the disruptive effect this imbalance has on productivity, innovation, and well-being. More than half of Australian respondents (54%) feel that, despite working longer hours, they are accomplishing less. Outdated digital tools (57%), misaligned or unclear expectations (54%), and underutilisation of artificial intelligence (39%) are among the most frequently cited contributors to an increasing burden of unrewarding work.
Furthermore, over 60% of workers believe that time spent on maintenance activities actively stalls momentum in their organisations, indicating widespread anxiety regarding the impact of workplace routines on business objectives.
Consequences for mental health
The pressure created by excessive administrative work is not limited to productivity losses. According to the findings, one in four Australian workers experiences emotional overload because of their work at least once a month, and nearly one in five encounters this strain on a daily basis.
Organisational silos and collaboration
The survey identifies organisational silos as another significant obstacle to efficient collaboration and employee well-being. Although knowledge workers have access to a broad range of digital tools, 63% report that information and data are dispersed across fragmented systems. Additionally, 58% describe communication silos arising from differing team practices or preferred tools, while 51% observe functional silos that hinder cross-team cooperation. Nearly half (47%) of respondents link these barriers to outdated digital platforms.
Views on AI integration
Despite these persistent challenges, the report points to cautious optimism about the role of artificial intelligence in reducing workplace inefficiencies. A substantial proportion of Australian respondents believe AI can help alleviate the reporting burden (58%) and minimise the need to move work between different tools or applications (60%). Employees also expect AI to support collaboration by breaking down information silos (65%), improving communication (57%), and advancing cross-functional partnerships (45%).
The report suggests that by combining AI with improved organisational practices, companies could enable their employees to dedicate more time to meaningful work with strategic impact. The data signals that AI not only has the potential to automate routine tasks, but to augment complex activities and thereby enhance the quality of output.
"It's clear that maintenance work and silos are making it difficult to do great work and slowing innovation. This is bad for both individual morale, and for organisations looking to accelerate innovation. It doesn't have to be this way," said Tomás Dostal Freire, CIO & Head of Business Transformation at Miro.
Miro's report indicates that improvements are being observed where appropriate technology is leveraged. The application of AI-enabled solutions is leading some employees to reduce time spent on administrative tasks from hours to minutes.
"We're already seeing how AI tools can help individuals reduce the time spent on admin tasks from hours to minutes. But this is only scratching the surface. Truly meaningful transformation comes when AI understands the full team context and contributes to team speed, not just individual task automation. Now teams can spend more time delivering the high-value work they enjoy, while simultaneously delivering infinitely better quality and results for the business."
The findings bring attention to the potential benefits of integrating artificial intelligence more fully into organisational processes, moving from experimentation to widespread adoption in order to address both productivity challenges and employee well-being concerns.
The report is based on survey responses collected during June and July 2025 from knowledge workers in eight countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany, among others. Participants included employees from various industries and companies of different sizes.
