Longer shifts at workplace can increase your error rates: Survey

If you thought that working long hours may help you please your boss, think twice. According to a survey, people who work longer shifts typically make nine per cent more errors than those on shorter shifts. This demonstrates that attention spans drift over a long work day, says a survey by Global software firm Pegasystems Inc, while revealing how ineffective software and poor processes are hindering productivity for many workers. 

The survey found that workers are saddled with too many of disconnected apps, leading to poor processes, increased errors, and wasted actions that could otherwise be automated. From digital distractions to extraneous activities, there are many events over the course of the day that take workers` attention away from productive tasks.

Workers check their email 10 times per hour, or once every six minutes, throughout the course of their day. Employees spend 13 per cent of their time on email, of which only 23 per cent is spent on value-generating work.

On average, workers perform 134 "copy and paste" actions each day -- highlighting how often employees must switch between applications using same data to complete a task.

"Many organisations instinctively try to solve process issues and improve employee productivity by throwing more software at the problem without truly understanding the root cause of their inefficiencies," said Don Schuerman, CTO, Pegasystems, in a statement on Wednesday. 

Employees commit 845 keying errors per day or once out of every 14 key strokes, which shows the potential to automate more of their workflow to reduce manual mistakes. Workers multitasking between 30 applications or more in a single shift have a 28 per cent higher error rate than those using fewer apps.

"By streamlining these processes and eliminating repetitive tasks, companies can give employees the right tools they need to succeed and be happier in their jobs," Schuerman said. 

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The survey is based on the analysis of nearly five million hours of desktop activity of operational support employees -- who primarily perform routine back office, data entry, or contact center tasks -- at Global 2000 companies from January to September.