Table Of Contents
Summary
In December 2022 we sent our annual Executive Productivity Survey to 600 high-income executives to identify key trends in productivity processes among some of the most impactful people in the workforce.
Highlights
Comparing the 2022 survey to previous results, we find a few notable changes:
- The use of virtual assistants went up by 10 percentage points in 2022 compared to 2021.
- Executives were more confident in their productivity than they were previously. Compared to 2021, in 2022 we observed a 15 percentage point drop in asking friends and colleagues for advice, and a 16 percentage point drop in seeking productivity tips online.
- Executives are valuing their time differently. 23% of executives believed that check-ins with direct reports were the best use of their time in 2022, (a 9 percentage point increase). At the same time, while strategy meetings with colleagues and supervisors used to be valued highly, that value was 11 percentage points lower in 2022 compared to 2021, with only 36% of executives ranking it as the best use of their time.
- Executives reported being slightly more productive in an office setting, but enjoyed significantly better work-life balance with the option to work from home.
- Symptoms of burnout were pervasive in 2022, with more than 40% of respondents reporting at least one of the following: anxiety, headaches, lack of sleep, fatigue and exhaustion, all of which are signs of burnout.
About the Executive Productivity Report
We launched the Quickskill Executive Productivity Report in 2019 as a survey to let executives share how they approach productivity. There is no shortage of productivity tips and hacks available online, but there is a dearth of intimate peer-to-peer knowledge sharing among executives on what they actually do each day to maintain productivity.
This year we surveyed 600 high-earning (minimum $100K annual salary), high-ranking (director level, and above) from across the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Canada to get a fresh look at executive time management strategies, tools, and other productivity habits. This data, with the backdrop of previous surveys, marks another milestone in the evolution of executive work pre-pandemic, mid-pandemic, and now as we are settling into a more “normal” rhythm.
Because the questions have changed given the changing circumstances, some questions are compared to previous years’, while others give us new information.
– Eric Taussig, Founder and CEO of Quickskill
Productivity is on the rise!
Pro-duc-tiv-i-ty (noun): The efficiency of productive effort toward one’s personal and business objectives. The ability to organize your actions and time to get better results with the same amount of time and energy.
Not only did executives report improved productivity in 2022, but they also seemed to be more confident in their productivity levels than they were before.
This may be due to the “return to normalcy” since the pandemic, with work and life feeling more stable and predictable.
But it may be due to other factors too.
Let’s take a closer look.
Which is better, home or office?
The answer depends on your values.
About half of all high-level executives returned to the office full-time in 2022, a little over a third worked hybrid, and only 14% of high-level executives reported working remote full-time in 2022.
Of those who worked in an office, 61% believed it helped them improve productivity, whereas only 47% of remote workers felt the same.
Still, there’s a notable decline in the belief that productivity is maximized in an office environment.
Our data showed that 67% of executives believed they were most productive in the office in 2019, 65% held this belief in 2021, and only 61% agreed in 2022.
And values seem to be shifting.
Almost ¾ of remote workers (73%) said they work from home because it gives them better work-life balance, while only 46% of those working in an office returned for the same reason.
Executives are becoming more confident in their productivity
64% of executives reported that their productivity improved in 2022, compared with only 40% who felt the same in 2020, (possibly due to the pandemic).
Meanwhile, only 12% reported that productivity declined in 2022, (compared with 20% who reported a decrease in 2020,) and 24% of executives believed their productivity has stayed the same.
The frequency at which executives ask for help has remained fairly stable, and executives are seeking less advice to improve productivity.
What actions do you take to become more productive?
In 2021, 58% of executives reported that they would ask friends and colleagues for advice, while only 43% turned to others for help in 2022.
But it’s not that people are being replaced by computers.
Executives also sought less productivity advice online, with only 42% looking for tips in 2022 compared to 59% in 2021.
Executives want more help with administrative tasks
In 2020, 31% of executives relied on an assistant (virtual or in-person) to help them be more productive. This number doubled to 62% in 2022.
Executives are using assistants at significantly higher rates.
In 2021 at the peak of the pandemic, only 25% of executives reported using a virtual assistant. But just one year later in 2022, 35% of executives relied on virtual assistants to boost productivity, while an additional 27% had an in-house assistant.
This is a 31 percentage point leap in the use of assistants by executives in just two years since 2020, and a 10 percentage point increase in the use of virtual assistants in the last year alone.
Executives are using assistants at significantly higher rates.
In 2021 at the peak of the pandemic, only 25% of executives reported using a virtual assistant. But just one year later in 2022, 35% of executives relied on virtual assistants to boost productivity, while an additional 27% had an in-house assistant.
This is a 31 percentage point leap in the use of assistants by executives in just two years since 2020, and a 10 percentage point increase in the use of virtual assistants in the last year alone.
Despite this rise in the use of assistants, executives administrative needs appear to be changing.
In 2022, only 50% of executives reported that they needed help with administrative tasks, compared to 62% in 2021 at the height of the pandemic, and 49% in 2020.
We’ve also observed a steady decrease in the need for organizational help, dipping down to 43% in 2022 compared to 49% in 2020.
Meanwhile, approximately 50% of executives consistently report the need for help with strategic projects, and the need for moral support hovers around 40% year after year.
The use of productivity systems declined although the use of new productivity tools and apps saw a slight increase.
Executives appear to be relying on technology more than just theory to help them reach their goals.
Strategy meetings weren’t valued as highly in 2022 as they were in previous years.
At the same time, executives increasingly believed that check-ins with direct reports are an important use of their time.
Blocks to productivity
When asked about the biggest blocks to productivity, executives listed “too many meetings” as well as admin tasks and busywork as major hinderances, but mental health concerns were reported at equally high rates.
Mental health and burnout
Our data show that mental health has a big impact on executive productivity, with almost half of executives (48%) reporting that stress and overwhelm were amongst the biggest blocks to productivity in 2022.
Related to stress and overwhelm, an inability to concentrate was indicated as a major block to productivity by 39% of executives.
Additionally, exhaustion was listed by 35%, and procrastination, which is a consequence of stress and overwhelm, was listed by 34% of executives as a block to productivity.
Executives experienced high rates of symptoms associated with burnout
45% of executives reported that fatigue, exhaustion, and lack of sleep impeded their productivity in 2022, and the same number claimed to experience anxiety.
Headaches affected productivity in 40% of those surveyed, and 31% reported difficulty concentrating and brain fog.
These are all warning signs, which can lead to more serious symptoms of burnout when left unaddressed.
Of concern is that about 1 in 5 executives already felt those effects in 2022.
21% of those surveyed reported a loss of purpose and mood swings, 14% said they experienced apathy and listlessness, and almost 1 in 10 (9%) struggled with cynicism and negativity in 2022.
15% of executives also had frequent sick days impact their productivity.
Conclusion
The workplace landscape has shifted since the pandemic.
Although stress and exhaustion remained chronic issues for many high-level executives in 2022, dealing with these issues appears to be taking greater precedent.
Executives are also getting better at delegation and asking for help, so it’s no surprise that they were more confident in their productivity overall.
Demographics of the Study
About Quickskill
Quickskill is a managed virtual assistant service, providing support for high-level executives throughout the US and parts of Europe. We are a values-driven company, bridging the need for good job opportunities in places like Guatemala and the Philippines with the need for reliable professional administrative support.
Quickskill is different than other virtual assistant (VA) services in that it hires, trains, and manages assistants instead of simply matching contractors with employers. This ensures that workers are treated fairly, and also means that service is continuous thanks to the availability of back-ups when an individual VA gets sick, on vacation, or leaves Quickskill.
The security provided by our managed service saves members hundreds of hours and many more dollars that they would otherwise have to spend on hiring and training new assistants. Because we provide fractional support, our service is also much more affordable than hiring in-house administrative assistants.
