When employees do not see the relationship between their tasks and the company's strategic goals, the consequences are serious. A study conducted among over 13,000 employees from six countries show that this lack of connection leads to a cascade of negative effects.
Only 23 percent employees claim that different departments in their companies strive for the same goal. Only 21 percent He believes that teams in their organizations work effectively. What's more, more than a third (38 percent) employees do not feel responsible for the quality of the work provided.
These numbers reveal a serious problem in today's work environment. When people do not understand why they perform specific tasks, their commitment, responsibility and motivation decreases.
Ineffectiveness and waste of potential
Lack of understanding of the sense of work translates directly into a decrease in productivity. The Asana report reveals that more than half of the time of employees consume not very productive activities related to the organization of work. Employees lose an average of nine hours a week on the very search for information needed to perform the tasks.
It is also worrying that 65 percent Employees are admitted to pretending to be busy to look productive.
Particularly alarming is the fact that from 2019 the time spent at unnecessary meetings has doubled. Currently, employees lose five hours a week on average. What's more, almost half of the respondents admit that their last meeting was unnecessary, and 61 percent. He claims that little results from them.
The popular saying “This meeting could be an email” unfortunately becomes less and less fun. Burning of energy for appearances has consequences – eight out of ten people have experienced burnout in the last six months.
The low level of sense at work goes hand in hand with a decrease in commitment – according to the latest Gallup report, only 21 percent. He admits employees in the world that he feels really involved in his work.
Read also: Employee involvement is falling. Poland at the gray end of the ranking
Dispersion, chaos, fatigue – how companies lose the meaning of work
What led to this state of affairs? The report reveals several key factors.
64 percent employees believe that tools to cooperate in their organizations They make their work difficult. Despite the digital revolution, 94 percent Employees still use spreadsheets for work management, and 98 percent It involves e-mails.
It also bothers no effective communication between departments – only 19 percent employees believe that communication tools in their companies support cooperation between various teams.
Another problem is inefficient change management – 43 percent respondents feel overwhelmed with too many organizational changes taking place at the same time. At last – detachment of managers from reality. 68 percent employees believe that their superiors have no idea about the actual burden on work.
A holistic approach is needed
Organizations that effectively counteract these challenges achieve significant benefits. Where the teams cooperate effectively, employees as much as 90 percent. They more often understand how their work contributes to achieving business goals.
Dr. Rebecca Hinds, head of Asana Work Innovation Lab, believes that these data are a warning signal for leaders. “The last five years have completely changed the way we work, but many companies still stick to old performance reducing habits. It costs – they hinder communication and overloading teams.”
The authors of the report suggest several key activities that organizations can take to help employees understand the goal.
First of all, they recommend effective work management. It is important to build predictability – leaders who invest in technologies supporting planning, have employees who are less often interrupted by non -flexible requests and less often encounter unexpected delays.
The next step is to strengthen responsibility – where the burden of work is realistic, employees feel more responsible for the effects. Finally, the authors of the report recommend intelligent implementation of AI – not only to increase individual productivity, but as tools for better task management at the level of the entire organization.
Understanding the sense of work is the foundation of productivity
In a world of more and more dispersed work – where 59 percent Employees work in a hybrid model, the need to clearly connect everyday tasks with the company's goals becomes crucial as never before.
Organizations that want to improve employees' performance and involvement must ensure that everyone knows, Why does he do his job. This is the basic condition for building an environment in which people are motivated, responsible and effective – not because they have to, but because they see it in it.
