Employees are facing a seemingly infinite workday with increased emails, meetings, and work outside traditional hours, according to a report by Microsoft.
Workers receive an average of 117 emails and 153 Teams messages per day, with 57% of meetings being ad hoc.
Meetings are most common between 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m., disrupting employees' productive hours.
Employees using Microsoft 365 are interrupted every two minutes, totaling 275 interruptions per day.
29% of employees check email after 10 p.m., and 20% work on weekends, with 5% checking emails on Sunday evenings.
One in three employees feels overwhelmed by the increasing pace of work in recent years.
Employers are advised to reevaluate how time is spent, prioritize deep work, and focus on high-impact tasks using the 80/20 Pareto principle.
Organizational redesigns focusing on outcomes rather than traditional structures, incorporating AI tools, are recommended by Microsoft.
Employees are working during vacation time, leading to the need for better work-life balance strategies, such as team coverage plans for vacations.
Americans work more and are less happy compared to Europeans, who tend to have better work-life balance and vacation more, according to survey results.