Over half of working time is spent unproductively, study reveals

UK
businesses are losing the equivalent of 117 working days a year because of poor
productivity, according to the latest research.

The
new study, by management consultants Proudfoot, reveals that 52 per cent of
working time in the UK is spent unproductively, compared to a worldwide average
of 43 per cent.

The
survey, Lost Time: The Global Productivity Study, was carried out in Austria,
France, Germany, Hungary, UK and USA, with the main factors in poor
productivity being IT problems, bad communication and inappropriate
qualifications.

The
single biggest reason for lost productivity in the UK is inadequate management,
planning and supervision. Poor morale accounts for 17 per cent of lost
productivity in this country, the highest rate among the countries
investigated.

An
additional survey of 2,700 CEOs across the world finds that the general
consensus for the maximum potential for productivity growth is only 10 per
cent.

By Ross Wigham