Prodoscore Research From March/April 2020: Productivity Has Increased, Led by Remote Workers
Proprietary data from employee visibility leader shows 47% YoY productivity growth in 2020, despite the pandemic-driven rise in working from home
Prodoscore, a leader in employee visibility software, announced new proprietary data about remote worker productivity and general work trends since the sudden and overwhelming move to remote workforces began in March. At a high level, the data showed a 47% productivity increase in 2020, despite the coronavirus lockdown and the ensuing increase in working from home.
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“The biggest cost to business is real estate and people, and more detailed and actionable information about what employees are really doing and how productive they are at home can help companies challenge conventional wisdom and optimize for a more efficient future.”
Evaluating some 100 million data points from 30,000 U.S.-based Prodoscore users during March and April of 2020, the company compared that data to the same period in 2019. The research showed that:
- Telephone calling was up 230%
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system activity was up 176%
- Email activity was up 57%
- Chat messages were up 9%
Which apps are down, and which are popular
On the flip side, document access fell 26%, while the use of calendaring apps dropped more than 22%, suggesting that fewer meetings – known for their negative impact on productivity and morale – can help make workers more productive.
Based on utilization, chat applications, CRM, and email are the most popular workplace tools, in that order. Chat’s ability to keep employees connected across remote work environments most likely accounts for its popularity and high usage. While many firms that have shifted to teleworking do not provide chat, those firms that do have witnessed a significant spike in usage, showing that person-to-person dialog between employees is going more digital.
Productivity varies by day and time
Prodoscore’s data also revealed that employees are more productive on specific days, and at different times, suggesting that traditional assumptions around the 40-hour workweek may need careful examination. Key stats include:
- The average worker starts work at 8:32 a.m. and ends work at 5:38 p.m.
- Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the most productive days, in that order
- Friday is the least productive day, followed by Monday
- The most productive period during the workday is from 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Employee “ramp-up” to being productive takes one to three hours daily
“The common assumption is that remote workers are less productive than those who are in a traditional office. But our ability to capture, integrate, and analyze workplace data shows otherwise,” said +, chief product officer at Prodoscore. “The biggest cost to business is real estate and people, and more detailed and actionable information about what employees are really doing and how productive they are at home can help companies challenge conventional wisdom and optimize for a more efficient future.”
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