Yes, that meeting could have been an email: 25 billion hours of work wasted

Office workers are being overwhelmed by unnecessary meetings, swamped with time-wasting notifications, and are not being given the tech tools that could help them focus on critical tasks, according to a survey of more than 5000 employees.

Atlassian released the findings in its State of Teams report on Thursday, which also estimated businesses were wasting 25 billion hours of work each year due to inefficient, old-world practices.

The research, which also investigated the use of artificial intelligence tools, found workers with access to the technology were more productive, clear on their goals and able to find information.

The findings come as AI technology becomes a bigger consideration for businesses and industries in Australia, with research estimating that generative AI could add as much as $115 billion a year to the local economy by 2030.