Workers spend a quarter of the week on morale-sapping shadow admin

Research from the travel and spend management platform Perk, published on 4 November, revealed that nearly three quarters of UK employees dedicate a significant part of their working week to administrative tasks. These duties, often unrelated to their core roles, result in lower morale and a higher risk of burnout.

Key findings from the survey

76% of UK employees spend a large portion of their week on admin-related activities.
On average, workers lose around nine hours weekly, nearly a quarter of a standard 40-hour week.
Each time workers try to refocus on main tasks, they lose approximately 12 minutes of concentration.

Examples of shadow work

Perk's analysis described shadow work as routine but distracting tasks such as:

Planning and managing business travel
Filing expense claims
Handling team-level administration
Managing workplace facilities
Organising events

Impact on employees

Half of UK employees consider shadow work the main contributor to burnout, while 52% say it lowers their job satisfaction.

Author’s summary: The study highlights how routine admin chores quietly consume nearly a quarter of UK employees’ workweek, diminishing motivation and overall well-being.

HR Magazine — 2025-11-05