New stats show how much of your job really is a waste of time TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. New stats show how much of your job really is a waste of time By Craig Hale published 4 July 2022 Your company could be losing millions in wasted time (Image credit: aslysun / Shutterstock) Audio player loading… A new study carried out by project management company Wrike (opens in new tab) suggests operational inefficiencies are leading employees to waste vast amounts of time. According to the study, companies with circa 3,000 employees are losing up to $52 million annually in wasted time as a result of unproductive meetings, duplicated efforts, information seeking and status check-ins. A further $8.2 million was found to be wasted each year in delayed or cancelled projects, while employee churn is said to account for almost half a million dollars over a twelve-month period. Wrike claims the digital era has "created a new level of chaos and misalignment", which is costing businesses millions in what the company is calling workplace "dark matter." The knowledge workers surveyed claim to be using an average of 14 apps and pieces of software on a daily basis, nine of which were deployed as a result of the pandemic. Improving company communications Despite attending a combined 18 days of meetings per year, 59% of business leaders complained that they struggled to keep track of employees' performance Communication platforms are the key offenders in the study's findings, with 86% of the business leaders surveyed having adopted new communication and collaboration tools to support hybrid working routines. Furthermore, workers were found to be receiving an average of almost 300 work-related messages every day.Read more> These are the best productivity apps on the market > HP unveils vision for the perfect hybrid working setup > The future of hybrid work: Reimagining employee experience The effects can be seen beyond large corporations, with the study finding that a company with 100 employees could lose over $1.65 million each year. On the other end of the scale, multinational corporations with more than 100,000 employees could be wasting more than $1.65 billion per annum. Alongside the evident financial implications, almost two-thirds of knowledge workers felt that they were being overworked, in turn making their working environments less attractive thus potentially increasing employee turnover. Failure to act upon company "dark matter" within the next five years, says Wrike, will increase its effects by 53%. In an effort to "create a single source of truth for work," more than eight in 10 enterprises that took part in the survey are looking to invest in technologies such as artificial intelligence and workflow automation.Check out the best video conferencing software today Craig Hale With several years' experience freelancing in tech and automotive circles, Craig's specific interests lie in technology that is designed to better our lives, including AI and ML, productivity aids, and smart fitness. He is also passionate about cars and the electrification of personal transportation. As an avid bargain-hunter, you can be sure that any deal Craig finds is top value! See more Software news Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to theTechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Thank you for signing up to TechRadar. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. MOST POPULARMOST SHARED1You may not have to sell a body part to afford the Nvidia RTX 4090 after all2It looks like Fallout's spiritual successor is getting a PS5 remaster3My days as a helpful meat shield are over, thanks to the Killer Klown horror game4One of the world's most popular programming languages is coming to Linux5The iPhone 14 Pro is made of the wrong stuff; the Pixel 7 proves that to me1We finally know what 'Wi-Fi' stands for - and it's not what you think2Dreamforce 2022 live: All the announcements from this year's show3'Go small or go home': HTC teases a new Vive VR headset4She-Hulk episode 8 just confirmed Netflix's Daredevil TV show is canon in the MCU5Google's new AI lets you turn words into HD videos Technology Magazines (opens in new tab)● (opens in new tab)The best tech tutorials and in-depth reviewsFrom$12.99 (opens in new tab)View (opens in new tab) Other versions of this page are available with specific content for the following regions:Suomi