A recent report has found that teams spend two days a week on giving and receiving feedback alone – and what’s more, 9 in 10 said they’d feel happier at work if they had a more efficient process in place.
The study comes from online review and approval platform, Filestage, which is used by teams at the likes of B Braun, groupM, Cambridge University and ITV to collaborate and feedback on work.
Filestage asked professionals in various sectors (from IT to marketing, design and compliance, among others) to comment on their experiences at work in the past year, and how they expect to collaborate this year and beyond. Here are 3 key insights from the survey:
1. Almost 7 in 10 said their workloads increased
While this was the case for the average respondent, it was less of an issue for those who are completely office-based (62% reported an increased workload) compared to those working fully remotely or hybrid (69% each).
Meanwhile, 3 in 4 (76%) of those who work hybrid said they worked more than their contracted hours. This compares to 62% of respondents who are based in an office full time, and 69% of those who work fully remotely.
Deadlines became more demanding, which was particularly noticeable for those who are fully office-based (66%), compared to 56% of those who work completely remotely.
In part, this could be explained by work typically taking longer to complete when in an office setting full time. In fact, while 2 days a week is the average amount of time spent on giving and receiving feedback on work, those who are office based full time report spending over half of their working week on this (instead of doing the work). Meanwhile, fully remote employees report spending just over a third (35%) of their time doing this.
2. Feedback loops are taking too long
While two days per week is average, it can take up more time depending on the department or specialism that an employee works within. For instance, account managers, project managers, strategists and compliance teams typically spend more time on giving and receiving feedback.
These review and approval steps are undoubtedly a necessity in most workplaces, and some industries, especially those affected by tighter regulatory frameworks, require it more than others.
However, these arduous processes are having a negative impact on employee wellbeing. For instance, 2 in 3 said their feedback process at work makes them feel stressed and frustrated, affecting those who work hybrid the most. And a separate LinkedIn poll found that nearly 1 in 5 feel anxious when they ask for feedback on their work.
The study suggests that a more efficient process might not only make employees happier, but it could also afford them the time to create better work. When asked what a better feedback process would do for them, 9 in 10 said it would make them happier at work, and 3 in 4 said they’d create better work.
3. The problems holding up effective collaboration at work are becoming clearer
When asked to pinpoint what they believe are the issues getting in the way of effective collaborations, respondents cited the following as their top 10:
- Arranging meetings to clarify feedback – 53%
- Delayed feedback from reviewers – 49%
- Having to chase reviewers for feedback or approval – 48%
- Getting conflicting or unclear feedback – 40%
- Having to consolidate feedback from different people and places (i.e. a mixture of email, voice notes, instant messages etc) – 38%
- Moving deadlines to allow more time for feedback – 38%
- Poor communication – 34%
- Unclear goals and project briefs – 31%
- Unnecessary meetings – 27%
- Outdated tools and processes – 17%
These problems could be the result of not having a clear process to collaborate in the first place. Without this, teams resort to their individual preferences to communicate feedback, such as via email, video calls, handwritten notes, or a message on Slack. In fact, 14% said they don’t know the best method for sharing feedback. With whole teams involved in a project, this scrappy process mounts up, and leaves project managers chasing their tails trying to consolidate feedback from different people and places. What’s more, the report found that nearly a fifth (18%) lost track of who had approved a piece of work at least once in the last year, leading to publishing mistakes, which can be costly in some industries.
Niklas Dorn, CEO and Co-Founder at Filestage said: “The path to productivity is simple: make feedback easier for reviewers and collect everyone’s comments in one place. That will mean less time chasing stakeholders for feedback and fewer meetings to get everyone on the same page.”
