Some 80 per cent of business decision-makers and 90 per cent of c-suite executives say they have had to spend time outside working hours to catch up on their work administrative tasks, with more than a third (35 per cent) admitting they have let their family down as a result of this admin overload.
The most common admin blowouts highlighted in the study by LeasePlan include administrative tasks (59 per cent), email communication and management (50 per cent), vehicle management, such as fuel expenses and claims (32 per cent), and taxing and insuring company vehicles (32 per cent).
As a result, 88 per cent of respondents say that they feel overwhelmed due to the amount of admin they have to do, with 88 per cent of business decision-makers and 95 per cent of c-suite respondents saying that administration tasks add unnecessary stress to their jobs.
The study reveals that more than a third of business decision makers admit coming into work early (32 per cent) and using time normally attributed to taking lunch (32 per cent) to get their work administrative tasks done, while over a fifth state that they were staying late after work hours (22 per cent) to cover off their admin.
Of those surveyed, 44 per cent state that admin tasks take on average between half an hour and an hour per day, equivalent to more than half a working day per week.
When asked what these business decision makers would do if they didn’t have to spend time outside working hours doing administration, more than a quarter (26 per cent) state that they would source and engage with new suppliers.
A fifth (21 per cent) say that they would prefer to be at home in time to read a bedtime story to their children, or do bath time with their family. A further 20 per cent would simply like to return home in time to eat with their family.
Matt Dyer, managing director at LeasePlan UK says, ‘It is disappointing to see unnecessary administrative tasks taking over business decision-makers’ lives to the extent that it directly impacts their home life.’
Further reading on work-life balance
