Dive Brief:
- Heavy workloads are taking a toll on workers’ productivity and output long term, a new study by Korn Ferry suggests. Per its Workforce 2026 Global Insights Report, the majority of workers (62%) say they’re facing “significantly heavier workloads” over the past two years.
- About half say they’re too busy to do work that brings “meaningful results” or actively contributes to the business growth of their employer.
- Korn Ferry researchers suggest that this phenomenon may be common because many employees are part of a leaner workforce — with reduction in head count largely fueled by the AI takeover. “Cost-cutting and restructuring create savings, but they don’t create the kind of passion that powers productivity,” Korn Ferry CEO Lesley Uren said in a statement released Tuesday.
Dive Insight:
With the current dynamic creating the kind of workplaces where talent can’t deliver meaningful results, Korn Ferry researchers said leaders must rethink how work gets done.
This directive comes on the heels of a report from Insights suggesting that most business leaders not only underestimate how change will disrupt productivity at work, but are unequipped to handle it. For example, 39% of respondents said they expected a moderate or major disruption, but more than half of respondents said they experienced it.
Many business leaders have a “been there, done that” attitude at the thought of workplace disruption, an Insights executive explained. “But as our research shows, assuming that experience trumps self-development has significant consequences for productivity,” Tricia Nelson, global marketing and sales director at the company, said.
A renewed approach to structuring work is crucial, Korn Ferry leaders said, because companies that revamp their workflow will be “better positioned to grow.” Korn Ferry’s Global Lead of People Strategy and Performance Roger Philby emphasized the importance of companies rethinking work in a way that allows talent to “see the impact of their work.”
Similarly, Uren said, “Passion is what separates a workforce that delivers the bare minimum from one that goes above and beyond to deliver growth.”
In this vein, one key takeaway for HR professionals from the report is that high activity doesn’t automatically mean high productivity. In this vein, 44% of workers said they are “stretched beyond their capabilities at work.”
“Growth doesn’t come from just asking people to do more. It’s about enabling them to do their best work, with space to experiment and innovate,” Uren said.
