C-suites "burying heads" on poor worker access to info

The research from digital learning outfit Obrizum showed 81% of 1,000 c-suite leaders surveyed believe it’s "easy" for workers to find the resources needed to perform their jobs.

But among 1,000 lower-level knowledge workers polled, over one-third said they spend up to 4 hours daily searching for information - equating to 480 hours annually down the drain.

"It’s staggering to learn of such disparity between the experiences employers think workers have and and what the true reality is," said Obrizum CEO Dr. Chibeza Agley. "I fear that the C-Suite are burying their head in the sand on this issue”.

60% of employees reported regular frustration over decentralised data, while 35% lack confidence in available information accuracy. Outdated or siloed resources are estimated to cost 36% of an employee’s yearly salary in lost productivity.

Agley emphasised, “Confidence levels tell an organisation everything they need to know. If an employee has no faith in the resources made available to them for their everyday job, what’s to stop them looking further afield for guidance? This could ultimately result in damaged worker retention.”

98% of managers agreed information should be shared company-wide. But presently under 35% of firms have such infrastructure, with resources scattered across departments.

Agley said listening to and investing in robust platforms for frontline workers is now an imperative, not an option. "Without it, the total cost of poor access will only increase. It’s time for businesses to leave the archaic methods of information storing and knowledge sharing behind.” 

According to 2022 UK government data, there are over 43,000 registered businesses with 50+ employees, generating an average turnover of £6.8 million annually. Given typical labour cost ratios of 15-30% for most industries, Obrizum estimates the average UK company with over 50 workers likely spends £1-2 million on payroll each year.

However, ineffective access to information and outdated systems are estimated to absorb nearly 29% of the average employee’s salary. For companies with 50+ staff, this inefficiency costs between £295,000 and £590,000 per firm every year. Extrapolated nationwide across all qualifying businesses, outdated systems and poor information access may be costing the UK economy as much as £25.7 billion annually in wasted payroll and lost productivity.