Half of U.S. Workers Trapped in Busy Work: New Report Exposes Widespread Productivity Crisis
Resume Now uncovers how busy work undermines productivity, with over half of employees feeling unable to drive change in their organizations.
GUAYNABO, PR, February 3, 2025 — ResumeNow®, a career service dedicated to empowering job seekers, has released its Productivity Drain Report, revealing that busy work—tasks with little meaningful impact—dominates American workplaces. According to the survey of 1,130 U.S. workers, 51% say their tasks often or always involve busy work, consuming over 16 hours per week for nearly one in five workers. Alarmingly, 54% report feeling powerless to address this productivity drain within their organizations.
Key Findings:
- 51% say their work often or always involves busy work
- 44% of workers have experienced multiple abandoned projects without explanation
- 54% of employees feel they lack a voice in addressing inefficiencies
- 37% report that busy work constitutes 25–50% of their daily workload and another 10% say more than half of their daily work is busy work
- 29% of workers estimate they spend at least a quarter of their week on busy work
Busy Work Dominates Workloads:
Busy work—tasks that create the appearance of productivity without contributing to meaningful results—has become a persistent issue in U.S. workplaces:
- 23% say their work “always” involves busy work.
- 28% feel it “often” does.
- 34% say it happens “sometimes.”
- Only 3% say they “never” encounter busy work.
Time Lost to Busy Work:
When asked how much of their workload is dedicated to busy work:
- 37% say between 25% and 50% of their tasks qualify as busy work.
- 10% report more than half of their daily workload is busy work.
- A quarter (29%) spend at least 11 hours a week on busy work—equating to more than 28% of their workweek.
- 17% spend over 16 hours weekly on these low-impact tasks.
Abandoned Projects Highlight Organizational Inefficiency:
The issue extends beyond individual responsibilities, with organizational inefficiencies exacerbating the problem:
- 44% of workers report experiencing multiple abandoned projects without explanation, wasting time and resources.
- These abandoned efforts waste time, resources, and employee morale.
Employees Feel Disempowered to Drive Change:
Employees are frustrated by their inability to influence meaningful change:
- 54% say they don’t have a voice in addressing inefficiencies.
- 45% feel their suggestions are considered but rarely acted upon.
- Only 46% of respondents believe their employers actively support improvements to processes and efficiency.
“This report reveals a widespread productivity crisis caused by busy work,” said Keith Spencer, career expert at Resume Now. “Employees are dedicating hours each week to meaningless tasks, feeling unheard when they propose solutions, and watching projects get abandoned. Businesses must address these inefficiencies to unlock meaningful productivity gains and improve employee engagement.”
To view the full report with more information, please visit
https://www.resume-now.com/job-resources/careers/productivity-drain-report or contact Joseph Santaella at joseph.santaella@bold.com.
Methodology
The findings presented were obtained by surveying 1,130 American workers on November 27, 2024 about how they feel busy work impacts their productivity. They answered different types of questions, including yes/no, open-ended, scale-based questions where respondents indicated their level of agreement with statements, and multiple-choice where they could select from a list of provided options.
About Resume Now
Since 2005, Resume Now has offered job seekers a fast and easy way to create a beautifully designed, expert-backed resume. With pre-written, industry-specific phrases and recruiter-approved templates, the award-winning builder enables users to create a polished and professional resume in minutes. Resume Now has been featured in major outlets such as Fortune, Forbes, and more. Stay connected with Resume Now’s latest updates on Facebookand LinkedIn.
