Employees Have Ideas on Operational Efficiencies That Most Organizations Aren't Tapping
ARLINGTON, Va., March 3, 2025 -- Improving organizational efficiency is a continuous focus of organizations, yet a new nationwide survey of U.S employees from Eagle Hill Consulting finds there is much room for improvement. More than two-thirds of employees (68 percent) indicate much of their time is spent on low-value inefficient tasks. The research also finds this inefficiency appears to be top of mind for workers. Seventy-eight percent of employees indicate that they regularly exchange ideas with colleagues on how to do their work more efficiently, but organizations often aren't leveraging employee ideas.
These findings are detailed in new research from Eagle Hill Consulting, "Are Employee Ideas the Hidden key to operational efficiency?" Read the research.
"Efficiency is the backbone of a high-performing organization, yet many workers report inefficiency in their day-to-day work," said Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. "Efficiency in organizations is crucial because it maximizes productivity, reduces costs, and creates a better customer and employee experience. Ultimately, efficiency is a competitive advantage because organizations that operate efficiently can adapt quickly, offer better prices, and outperform."
"A first step in improving efficiency is to engage employees on ways to improve efficiency as they are steeped in the day-to-day work and often are frustrated by inefficiency. Our research finds employees already are talking about how to streamline their work, so tapping into their ideas is a must. Other steps that can make a real impact are leveraging technology to automate and streamline processes, finding ways to improve communication and collaboration, and training workers on productivity skills and decision making," Jezior said.
Key findings of the research are as follows:
- Most employees want to improve efficiency. More than three-fourths of employees (78 percent) indicate they regularly exchange ideas with colleagues on how to work more efficiently, while 66 percent have shared their ideas with their organization.
- Employees often know how to support business optimization, but their organizations aren't tapping into their ideas. More than half of workers (56 percent) say their organization doesn't incentivize them to find ways to be more efficient. Forty-one percent say that their organization rarely or never seeks their ideas to make improvements, while 44 percent report that their organization doesn't support employee initiatives to improve efficiency.
- Many organizations lack a clear process for submitting ideas to improve operational performance. Sixty-three percent of employees report their organizational lacks a clear process to submit ideas for improvement, with nearly a quarter (23 percent) reporting their organization has no process at all. Employees at organizations with a clearly defined process for sharing ideas are about two times more likely to also report that their organization is effective at improving productivity.
- Organizations often fall short in implementing employees' ideas to improve efficiency. Thirty-eight percent of employees say it's unlikely their efficiency will be implemented, while 42 percent don't feel empowered to implement changes based on their ideas. The vast majority of workers (83 percent) say their organization struggles to generate ideas for change. Nearly half of employees (48 percent) find it difficult to put ideas into practice, and 39 percent say it is difficult getting changes approved.
The research also offers practical solutions for employers to break old paradigms and tap into a goldmine of employee ideas on improving efficiency. Read the five actions.
The findings are based upon the 2025 Eagle Hill Consulting Workplace Efficiency Survey conducted by Ipsos from January16 - 22, 2025. The survey included 1,375 respondents from a random sample of employees across the U.S.
Eagle Hill Consulting LLC provides unconventional management consulting services in the areas of Strategy, Performance, Talent, and Change. The company's expertise in delivering innovative solutions to unique challenges spans across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. A leading authority on employee sentiment, Eagle Hill is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, with employees across the U.S. and offices in Boston and Seattle. More information is available at www.eaglehillconsulting.com.
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