Survey Finds Workers Average Only Three Productive Days per Week

Date: Tuesday 23 August 2005

Most Respondents a Microsoft Office Survey Say They're Working Longer, But Are Less Productive; They Relate Their Productivity to Technology

Unclear objectives, lack of team communication and ineffective meetings are among the top time wasters that workers around the world say make them feel unproductive for as much as a third of their workweek on average, according to results of an online Microsoft® Office survey announced today. Survey respondents also said that, as they grapple with the need to work longer hours and the desire for better work-life balance, they rely heavily on technology tools to help optimise their personal and team productivity.

The Microsoft Office Personal Productivity Challenge (PPC), which drew responses from more than 38,000 people in 200 countries, rated workers' individual productivity based on their responses to 18 statements about work-related practices. Worldwide, survey participants revealed some interesting conclusions about the nature of productivity in their workplace, including these (U.S. findings are in parentheses):

• People work an average of 45 hours a week; they consider about 17 of those hours to be unproductive (U.S.: 45 hours a week; 16 hours are considered unproductive).
• More than half the participants, 55 percent, said they relate their productivity directly to their software (U.S.: 61 percent).
• People spend 5.6 hours each week in meetings; 69 percent feel meetings aren't productive (U.S.: 5.5 hours; 71 percent feel meetings aren't productive).
• Only 34 percent said they are using proven scheduling tools and techniques to help them gain more free time and balance in their lives. Likewise, 60 percent said they don't have work-life balance, and being unproductive contributes to this feeling. (U.S.: 31 percent said they are using proven scheduling tools and techniques; 66 percent said they don't have work-life balance.)
• Women had an average productivity score of 72 percent, compared with 71 percent for men (U.S.: women, 70 percent; men, 68 percent).
• Workers said they receive an average of 42 e-mail messages per day (U.S.: 56).

Microsoft Corp. developed the PPC assessment as a way for workers to evaluate their work habits and receive tips on how to be more productive in their day-to-day activities. Dr. Larry Baker, president of the Dr. Larry Baker Management Center Inc. in Atlanta and an associate professor at Shorter College in Marietta, Ga., developed the survey questions.
"In my three decades of studying what makes workers productive, I've found the most crucial skills are their ability to efficiently communicate across all kinds of boundaries, share important documents and manage the increasing volumes of information," Baker said. "These new survey results confirm those trends and highlight the opportunity for workers to get better training and tips on how to get the most out of software tools they use. Clearly, this is a focus area for Microsoft where it can help people be more productive with the Office products."

With increasing workplace demands and people relying more heavily on technology tools to help them stay on task, it is clear why survey participants identified the following work arrangements as helpful in increasing their productivity:

• They are able to quickly find electronic documents when they need them.
• Features such as a spam filter help them manage their e-mail more effectively.
• They provide advice, rather than taking on other people's responsibilities.
• Using technology is a major factor in their ability to manage time efficiently.

About the PPC
The findings for the survey were collected in 29 languages from participants in the Microsoft Office Personal Productivity Challenge via their local Microsoft Office Experience Web sites from September 2004 through January 2005. Survey results were evaluated by ConStat Inc., an independent research analysis firm. The firm evaluated responses from 38,112 participants worldwide.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

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