What are the biggest post-pandemic workplace challenges?

Asana’s latest workplace survey has highlighted the issues plaguing the world of work, leading to stifled productivity, increased burnout and decreased trust.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on working life. From remote and flexible working to better connected staff members and greater company culture, the pandemic has, in some ways, changed working life for the better. 

The consequences of the virus, in terms of working arrangements, led to many experiencing a level of professional autonomy that greatly improved their productivity and overall job satisfaction. The lack of a commute and the ability to care for dependents while at home was also a silver lining to be taken from a difficult situation.

It has also proven that provisions can and should be made to better include people with disabilities, visible and invisible, in working life. There have been many positive side effects to a truly disruptive, frightening and unforgettable global event, but, despite having put some distance between then and now, the pandemic also continues to negatively impact the working world.

San Francisco-based software company Asana has today (22 October) released the State of Work Innovation Report 2024, highlighting the four main challenges affecting organisations and the working population since the pandemic. To gather their data, Asana surveyed 13,066 knowledge workers across six countries in 2024, namely Australia, Japan, the US, the UK, Germany and France between February and August this year. 

Who is doing what?

Asana’s research indicated that capacity and a clear understanding of responsibilities is in short supply for many organisations post-pandemic, with 68pc of workers saying their managers don’t understand their workloads. This has led to a workload imbalance where a few high performers are relied on to get the bulk of work done, according to more than half of those surveyed.

Research suggests that employees are drained, mentally and physically, by too many unnecessary, disconnected tools and a heavy workload, which the survey warns has the potential to lead to significant burnout. 

Fear of change

The pandemic was undeniably disruptive, forcing many people to adapt and change to fit a transformed working world. Amid economic pressures and technological advancements organisations have had to reshape to stay not just competitive, but afloat. 

As indicated by the survey, the issue of low resilience and a fear of change has resulted in some employees losing trust in the organisations they work for and becoming resistant to further alteration. Only 27pc of responding employees are of the opinion that their organisations can weather future challenges and less than a quarter (24pc) said that their company updates strategic goals based on changing priorities.

Are we actually connecting?

The third major challenge to working life since the pandemic identified by the survey is the issue of whether or not we are actually tuned in to our places of employment, or if the multiple forms of workplace communication are actually deepening the divide. 

According to the survey, co-workers  “are more disconnected than ever, with teams falling into silos, leading to duplicated efforts, wasted resources and costly inefficiencies. Teams are left spinning their wheels rather than driving real progress.”

Just 21pc of responding knowledge workers believe that people in their organisations can work effectively across teams and less than one-fifth are of the opinion that their communication tools support cross-functional collaboration. Interestingly, but perhaps not surprising given the results of the report, less than half (47pc) of those surveyed stated that they understand how their work clearly fits in with their organisation’s long-term objectives. 

Breakneck or bottleneck speeds?

Asana’s survey identified low velocity as a serious issue in the workplace post-pandemic. In a changing world, the companies better able to adapt and to do so quickly, are the ones most likely to succeed, therefore bottlenecks can be a significant challenge for modern organisations. 

A reliance on outdated technologies and poor workflow can greatly impede the workplace, with 94pc of respondents stating that they still depend on spreadsheets to help manage their work and 64pc feeling that their company’s collaboration tools are actually making the job harder to do. 

AI as always seems to be a contentious subject, with nearly half (47pc) of employees concerned about the use of unreliable data and 26pc saying that their organisation does not provide sufficient AI training. 32pc admitted to using unauthorised ‘shadow’ AI tools, putting organisations at risk of cybersecurity threats.

“This report is a wake-up call for leaders,” said Dr Rebecca Hinds, the head of Asana’s Work Innovation Lab.

“The last five years have completely reshaped how we work, but too many teams are still stuck in outdated practices that drain productivity. Holding onto these old habits has come at a high cost – leaving teams disconnected and overwhelmed.” 

She said that organisations needs to move beyond traditional methods of working, for example relying on meetings to solve every problem and letting teams adopt technology in silos.

“AI has the capability to help, but too many organisations are only using AI to boost individual productivity.

“By applying AI across the organisation, it gains critical context of the work that is happening – giving organisations the clarity of who is doing what by when. Only then will businesses create connections, move faster, build resilience and balance workloads.”

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