Working as a dilettante: a habit regularly attributed only to employees. Nearly 6 out of 10 managers admit to monitoring their employees during their working time. Perhaps because they themselves know that the antiphon “what is done is no longer to be done” is easier said than done. Many leaders thus regularly succumb to a certain laziness.
This is what reveals a survey carried out by the agency specializing in data FLASHS and the web hosting site Hostinger.fr, published this Thursday, March 21. According to the study, nearly 9 out of 10 leaders and managers confess to procrastinating during working hours. There are even 23% who do it “often” and 10% who do it “always”.
A phenomenon which draws its source from several explanations. The most common being motivation, or rather demotivation. 40% of bosses and managers admit to procrastinating due to lack or loss of motivation, along with work overload. More than a quarter of them also mention the fear of failure, and more than a third highlight their perfectionist side.
Administration, the bane of managers
Unsurprisingly, age appears to have an influence on the reasons for these postponements. For example, a lack of motivation is cited by more than half of managers under 24, compared to only a third of managers over 64. Conversely, older managers experience work overload less well than young people. 51% of 55-64 year olds cite it as one of the causes of their procrastination, compared to 34% of 18-24 year olds.
In addition, according to the survey, certain tasks are more likely to encourage managers to postpone what could be done at the same time. Nearly 58% of managers who procrastinate at work say they are discouraged by the cumbersome administrative processes. Nearly a quarter of them are also demotivated by the need to make strategic decisions. In addition, accounting and human resources management are presented by more than 2 out of 10 managers as chores that encourage procrastination.
Between advantages and disadvantages
Often equated with laziness, putting off certain tasks until tomorrow could, however, have a number of advantages. Nearly 7 out of 10 managers say, for example, that procrastination helps them “better manage” their energy, and allows them to “focus on tasks that require (immediate) attention”. Furthermore, 62% see it as a way to improve decision-making, and nearly 60% use it as a way to boost their creativity and contain their stress. In total, a quarter of them assure that procrastination does not bother them.
The fact remains that the costs are added to the profits. And these are not negligible. Feeling of guilt, anxiety, bad reputation… The other side of the coin can sometimes be heavy. Nearly half of leaders feel guilty when they procrastinate. And 44% see anxiety increase as the deadline approaches. Furthermore, 66% of them note that procrastination has already had negative effects on their private life, in particular because of the work time they have to make up.
Beyond the psychological and emotional consequences it causes, procrastination can also have an impact on business performance. 63% of executives admit to missing one or more sales opportunities due to procrastination. Nearly half of them have also seen their reputation damaged, both with customers and suppliers.
AI to fight against idleness?
And the consequences on the economic health and internal dynamism of the company are sometimes such that certain managers have chosen to take the problem head on. “Among those who procrastinate, 61% have implemented strategies using AI to limit or eliminate their tendency to be idle,” notes Léa Paolacci, head of the study.
Among them, more than a third found what they wanted there. Conversely, a quarter say that the integration of AI has had no impact on their propensity to procrastinate. Unsurprisingly, the initiative was better received by managers aged 18 to 24: more than half found the method effective, compared to only 21% of managers and executives aged over 55.