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Why Are Hybrid Teams Struggling With Productivity?
Global study identifies low capacity, low resilience, disconnection, and low velocity as four biggest workplace inefficiencies.
New data from Asana’s State of Work Innovation Report, reveals that while the workplace continues to undergo significant shifts, organisations face critical challenges that stifle productivity. Only 13% of knowledge workers adhere to the traditional 9-to-5 workday, 59% of workers either work in a hybrid format or have the option to do so, and 81% of workers rely on asynchronous communication.
Yet, despite these changes, the study – based on a survey of 13,000+ knowledge workers across six countries – reveals four major areas where businesses face significant challenges that hurt worker productivity:
The Burden of Low Capacity
Capacity is about how much work an organisation can manage without overburdening its teams. Yet, as hybrid work becomes the norm, many companies are struggling to balance workloads.
A growing disconnect is evident, with 68% of workers reporting that their managers don’t understand their workloads, and over half stating that their teams rely on a few high-performers to get tasks done. Adding to this, 65% of employees admit to “productivity theater,” where they pretend to be busy to avoid scrutiny.
The problem is compounded by unproductive meetings, which have only worsened since the pandemic. Time spent in unnecessary meetings has doubled since 2019, with workers losing an average of five hours per week.
Nearly half of workers find that their last meeting was unnecessary, and many feel that little is accomplished in meetings overall. In fact, 61% believe meetings are unproductive, and after 28% of meetings, workers suffer from “meeting recovery syndrome,” a period where they vent to colleagues just to recover from poorly managed sessions.
On top of this, workers are feeling overwhelmed by the growing number of disconnected digital tools. Digital exhaustion has risen sharply, with 75% of workers reporting it, up from 64% last year. Additionally, 63% of employees say their work is disrupted by juggling too many tools.
These factors are contributing to an alarming rise in burnout, with over 81% of employees experiencing burnout within the last six months.
The Challenge of Low Resilience
Many organisations are struggling to maintain productivity and resilience in the face of rapid changes in the economy, technology, and work environments. This has resulted in confusion, resistance, and a lack of trust within teams.
A major challenge is the inability to adapt to change, with only 27% of employees feeling confident that their organisation can handle future challenges. Moreover, just 24% believe their company updates strategic goals based on shifting priorities, indicating a broader issue with agility.
Toxic change management is further complicating the situation, as 82% of employees have witnessed poor change processes, which fuel confusion and inefficiency. Compounding this is the impact of toxic colleagues, with many failing to take accountability or being transparent about their workloads.
Seventy percent of workers report that teammates exaggerate their workloads to avoid tasks, and 69% say important information is often withheld, slowing progress. Alarmingly, 37% of workers don’t feel fully responsible for delivering high-quality work, pointing to a deeper problem with workplace culture.
The Cost of Disconnection
The Price of Low Velocity
Tackling These Issues
Overcoming these challenges is possible, according to Asana, with the organisation finding:
- More predictability
Leaders who invest in technology and processes that bring predictability to work have employees who are 183% more likely to avoid being interrupted by non-urgent requests and 138% more likely to avoid unexpected delays. - More accountability
At organisations where employees say they have enough capacity to do their work, employees are 133% more likely to report strong accountability. With this clarity, there’s more focus on real productivity—employees are 24% less likely to perform productivity theater. - Less toxic behavior
At organisations that are able to adapt to change, employees are 37% less likely to report toxic teammate behavior, creating a more positive and productive work environment. - Better AI foundations
At organisations where work and decisions move quickly, they are 54% more likely than slower companies to have an AI policy in place. This gives teams clear guidance on how to use AI responsibly, helping them make the most of the technology without uncertainty. - Better tools for managing work
These organisations are 47% more likely to use work management platforms that centralize tasks, streamline approvals, manage complex workflows, and give leaders better visibility to make smarter decisions. - Clearer sense of purpose
At organisations where employees say their teams work well together, employees are 90% more likely to understand how their work adds value and helps achieve company objectives.
Dr Rebecca Hinds, Head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab, commented: “This report is a wake-up call for leaders. The last five years have completely reshaped how we work, but too many teams are still stuck in outdated practices that drain productivity.. Holding onto these old habits has come at a high cost—leaving teams disconnected and overwhelmed.
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“With asynchronous work now central to modern workplaces, businesses need to move beyond outdated methods like relying on meetings to solve every problem, face-to-face conversations for critical information, and letting teams adopt technology in silos.
“AI has the capability to help, but too many organisations are only using AI to boost individual productivity. By applying AI across the organisation, it gains critical context of the work that is happening – giving organisations the clarity of who is doing what by when. Only then will businesses create connections, move faster, build resilience and balance workloads.”
