Section 2: The Pace of Change
Productivity pitfalls must be addressed
A 2024 global survey by Gallup found that companies are 17% more productive and 21% more profitable when they offer training to employees. Despite efforts to boost efficiency, persistent barriers continue to undermine workplace productivity
Chief among these is workload imbalance, cited by 37% of employees as their biggest challenge. This issue disproportionately affects women with 42% identifying it as a problem, compared to 33% of men, revealing perceived inequities in task distribution.
0%
of employees cited workload imbalance as the primary obstacle
0%
women
0%
men
Other significant productivity blockers include lack of resources (31%), poor management (30%), and meeting overload (29%). The latter reflects a workplace culture increasingly criticised for prioritising face time over focused work. Meanwhile, individual challenges such as distractions (24%), personal well-being (23%), and procrastination (22%) further illustrate the organisational and individual nature of the productivity problem. Together, these factors create an environment where organisational inefficiencies compound to limit potential.
0%
lack of resources
0%
poor management
0%
meeting overload
0%
distractions
0%
personal well-being
0%
procrastination
Managers have a crucial role to play, but their impact varies widely. While 50% of employees report that their manager positively affects their productivity, the remaining data is sobering: 18% say their manager negatively impacts their performance, and 26% report no impact at all.
0%
of employees report that their manager positively affects their productivity
0%
26% report no impact at all
0%