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Periods of deep, focused work are crucial to the productivity of the knowledge-driven economy. But is this kind of focus becoming harder and harder to maintain?
Since the covid-19 pandemic, employees and companies have been adapting to new ways of working, seeking to create environments that foster efficiency and strike a balance between productivity and well-being.
Simultaneously, the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), automation tools and virtual platforms has revolutionized business communication while competing for workers’ limited attention.
In this research program, Economist Impact, commissioned by Dropbox, re-examines the economic impact of lost focus among knowledge workers. This initiative, building on our research from 2020 covering just the US, now encompasses ten countries across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The knowledge worker
A knowledge worker is a full-time employee whose work relies heavily on digital tools and consists primarily of non-repetitive, intellectual labor and problem solving, as opposed to physical labor. Skilled-task workers, researchers, educators, analysts, managers, IT staff, executives, and professionals are all examples of knowledge workers.
Lost focus
Focused work is the state of distraction-free concentration directed toward performing a specific task. Lost focus refers to instances where workers are interrupted, distracted or otherwise disengaged from focused work, which can negatively affect their productivity.
Impact models, or tools to quantify the real-world outputs and change, were created to measure the impact of these innovations if they were adopted at scale across our ten countries.
Forecasts from 2021 through 2030 were created for each country using the impact models.
Promising innovations with the potential to drive resilience and synergies between our natural and built environments were identified for each of the four elements.
Ten countries, which account for about 50% of all global economic activity, were selected to explore the impact of the innovations across different contexts.
Our
process
Hydrid rainwater-greywater systems
Impact leader: United Arab Emirates
A high-capacity tank stores both rainwater and recycled household wastewater (“greywater”) for non-potable uses.
Smart drone inspections of power
Impact leader: Australia
Drones with cameras and sensors inspect assets such as high voltage transmission lines more precisely, quickly and safely than manual inspections.
Self-healing asphalt
Impact leader: India
Steel shavings are integrated into traditional asphalt which make it possible to rebind the asphalt instead of replacing it.
Production of green hydrogen by offshore shore wind turbines
Impact leader: United Kingdom
The wind turbines at offshore wind facilities are retrofitted with a desalination unit and electrolysis to sustainably prodruce hydrogen fuel.
The transportation sector is a primary driver of GHGs. The heating of asphalt consitutes 40% of the emissions associated with road constructions and maintenance.
Globally, domestic water use accounts for 10% of total demand. Hydrid rainwater-greywater systems (HRG) systems can reduce use of potable water for non-potable uses and reduce the strain on municipal and groundwater sources.
Production of hydrogen fuel requires sea water, an electrolyster and a stable supply of energy. If the electricity comes from a sustainable source, the only emissions are from the electricity generation infrastructure.
Fewer fires means fewer costs. Drone inspections are 80% more accurate than manual inspections and 28-55% cheaper. With drone inspections, a 39% reduction in fires caused by powerline failure can be expected.
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Key Findings
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US$
billion
American companies collectively leave nearly half a trillion dollars on the table because of time-sucking distractions that affect deep, focused work.
The economic gains of addressing lost focus
US$ 1.4
The US economy could grow by nearly $1.4 trillion if businesses across five major sectors fully optimized knowledge workers' focus.
trillion
Addressing lost focus in the workplace can help boost knowledge workers’ economic production.
GVA (gross value added) is used to measure the contribution of different parts of the economy. It refers to total economic value generated, minus expenses.
Potential gains vary due to the number of knowledge workers in each country and their revenue capabilities.
In percentage terms, the potential upside ranges from a 34% increase (Japan) to a 44% increase (Australia).
Key insights on lost focus
Hazards to focus differ by work environment. On-site workers cite face-to-face interruptions as their worst distraction, while remote workers single out household chores and demands from others sharing their space. Regardless of location, all workers wrestle with disruptions from meetings, emails and chat messages.
By contrast, 36% of office workers identified face-to-face interruptions as a top distraction in 2020.
In our 2020 report, the temptation to relax was the most common source of distraction for knowledge workers when working from home.
Distractions and working environments
For office workers, 36% reported face-to-face interruptions as a top distraction in 2023, along with 25% citing peripheral noise—both unchanged since 2020.
Today, browsing social/other media is still a common distraction. But with the rise of remote work, dealing with demands from household members has emerged as the leading obstacle to maintaining focus for remote workers.
Despite the new challenges, flexible work is still highly valued. In the US, 61% of knowledge workers across the sectors we surveyed said they are either fully remote or hybrid.
Peter Bacevice, vice president of R&D at Pangeam
"Flexibility and choice about where and when to work “play a significant role in knowledge workers’ ability to thrive.”
As typical ways of working continue to evolve, these workers have faced the need to adapt their strategies for staying focused and productive. One such adaptation appears to be a preference for flexible hours. Two-thirds say they are more likely to work flexible hours while at home.
But for those who also work flexible hours, the outcomes are even stronger.
For remote and hybrid workers, remote work is generally considered to improve focus, quality of work, and well-being — even in the absence of flexible hours.
How has lost focus changed in the US?
Productive time lost each year to personal activities (eg, social media, chores, etc) saw a 14 percent increase since our 2020 report, rising from 132 to 151 hours per knowledge worker.
14%
Since our 2020 report, knowledge workers have seen some shifts in the amount of time lost to different distractions. Productive time lost each year to personal activities (eg, social media, chores, etc) saw a 13 percent increase since our 2020 report, rising from 132 to 149 hours per knowledge worker.
13%
However, knowledge workers are losing less time to other distractions, such as unproductive emails, which dropped from 99 hours to 75 hours.
75 hours
However, knowledge workers are losing less time to other distractions, such as unproductive emails, which dropped from 99 hours to 75 hours.
75 hours
Time spent recovering focus after distractions has risen from 118 to 127 hours per year, reflecting more frequent interruptions throughout the workday.
127 hours
Time spent recovering focus after distractions has risen from 118 to 127 hours per year, reflecting more frequent interruptions throughout the workday.
127 hours
These shifts in how workers use their time suggest that they are adapting their focus and work patterns in response to changing work arrangements.
How has social media usage impacted focus since the pandemic?
About 45% of respondents agree that social media is more of a distraction than it was before the pandemic. People are now turning to social media not only to find information but also to communicate and share work-related information.
However, as colleagues increasingly use social media as a communication tool, it may amplify feelings of needing to be online or available all the time.
What are the biggest drivers of lost focus globally?
Of the distractions studied, chat messages at work tended to cause the greatest losses in focus time—157 hours annually per knowledge worker on average across the ten countries.
Productive time lost to personal activities was next, at 138 hours per year. Perhaps, surprisingly, this is not purely a consequence of remote work: even on-site workers are spending more time on personal activities than they did in our 2020 study.
Time spent regaining focus after interruptions reached 122 hours per year, reflecting how fragmented the modern workday has become. Our global survey found that 42% of knowledge workers said they typically do not spend more than an hour on productive work without interruption.
Productive time lost to personal activities was next, at 138 hours per year.
Perhaps surprisingly, this is not purely a consequence of remote work: even on-site workers are spending more time on personal activities.
Managers and others struggling with lost focus
How do distractions impact different roles within organizations?
Managers experience significantly more lost focus than others—683 hours annually per manager (compared with 553 hours for general staff).
This lost time costs organizations approximately $37,000 per manager (34% of their average salary), more than the cost of lost focus for the average knowledge worker ($21,000).
What challenges do managers face that impact their ability to focus?
Managers tend to spend more time in meetings they consider unproductive.
Managers consider 27% of their meeting time as unproductive, compared with 21% for general staff.
Managers spend significant time switching between various administrative tasks.
1/4 of managers report administrative tasks as one of their top three distractions in the office.
Managers are vital for team productivity, but their need to frequently multitask can easily turn into a major threat to focus.
Combating these distractions for managers is a priority for any business.
Time spent regaining focus after these interruptions amounts to 164 hours per year for managers, whereas general staff lose only 125 hours.
On the bright side, 79% of those in managerial roles feel that automation tools will help them be more productive.
A majority of workers are seeing a variety of positive effects from AI and automation.
Automation tools and AI
What impact are automation tools having on workers' ability to focus?
Eight in ten report that automation tools have made them more productive.
A majority also say that their quality of work (73%) and mental health (59%) have improved.
Josh Bersin, HR consultant
“AI is one of the biggest transformational technologies we have in the workplace.”
How do workers expect to benefit most from the use of AI?
Knowledge workers predominantly want AI tools to help them automate repetitive tasks.
41% listed this as one of their top four preferred ways to use AI.
Emma Walsh, CEO of Parents At Work and founder of Family Friendly Workplaces
"AI can help people “get things done, so they can spend more time thinking about complex problems or the customer services they deliver.”
Solutions: Addressing loss of focus
Peter Bacevice, vice president of R&D at Pangeam
"Not everyone wants to work exclusively from the same place all the time, but people do want the choice to decide whether they work from home, the office or a combination of both. They want to have the option available to them.”
How can businesses improve workers’ productivity and well-being in a post-pandemic world?
Ensure that all workers have access to the necessary tools and infrastructure to thrive, regardless of their working location.
In an office setting, knowledge workers need collaborative workspaces for in-person brainstorming, but they also strongly value quiet spaces for focused work.
In a remote setting, workers often say they struggle with technical issues or inadequate physical infrastructure.
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Give workers the flexibility to choose where they can work best.
Our survey suggests that knowledge workers frequently choose to work in the type of environment where they feel most productive.
In fact, the more agency that workers have over their schedule and environment, the better outcomes they see for focus, work quality and well-being.
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Implement workplace strategies to combat the drivers of lost focus.
Constant interruptions, whether face-to-face or via chat messages, are one of the biggest threats to focus and productivity in the modern workplace.
But strategies to deal with these distractions are still relatively uncommon. Fewer than three in ten knowledge workers said their organization promotes meeting-free or dedicated focus time, and fewer than two in ten have access to workshops that teach better focus skills.
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