48 Workplace Collaboration Statistics

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These workplace collaboration figures cover the measurement periods and populations identified in the available source material. Estimates, surveys and forecasts retain their reported scope.

Key Workplace Collaboration Statistics

The main findings are:

  • 73% of surveyed workers wanted flexible remote-work options to continue in early 2021 (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets; full-time employed or self-employed workers).
  • Average weekly Teams meeting time increased 252% from February 2020 to February 2022 (February 2020–February 2022; Average Teams user).
  • 43% of remote employees said they did not feel included in meetings (January 7–February 16, 2022; Remote employees in 31 markets).
  • Remote work caused collaboration networks among 61,182 U.S. Microsoft employees to become more static and siloed, with fewer bridges between disparate groups (First six months of 2020; United States Microsoft employees).
  • The Nature remote-collaboration study analyzed 20 million research articles and 4 million patent applications across roughly half a century (Approximately 50-year bibliometric window; Global research and invention records).
  • Global disengagement was associated with an estimated $8.8 trillion in lost productivity in Gallup’s 2023 report (2022 global engagement data reported in 2023; Global economy).
  • More than 65% of surveyed workers wanted more in-person time with their teams in early 2021 (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets).
  • The number of weekly Teams meetings increased 153% over the same period (February 2020–February 2022; Average Teams user).
  • 44% of hybrid employees said they did not feel included in meetings (January 7–February 16, 2022; Hybrid employees in 31 markets).
  • MIT’s email-network study found more than 4,800 weak ties were lost during 18 months of lockdown-related de-co-location (18 months beginning December 26, 2019; 2,834 MIT faculty and postdocs).
  • Microsoft’s 2022 survey found 43% of leaders saw relationship-building as the greatest challenge in remote and hybrid work (January 7–February 16, 2022; 31 markets).
  • The $8.8 trillion estimate equaled about 9% of global GDP (2022 global engagement data reported in 2023; Global economy).
  • 66% of business decision-makers were considering redesigning physical spaces for hybrid work (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets).
  • Teams users sent 32% more chats per week in February 2022 than in March 2020 (March 2020–February 2022; Average Teams user).
  • Only 27% of organizations had established new hybrid-work meeting etiquette (January 7–February 16, 2022; 31 markets).

Contents

Workplace collaboration statistics: how work communication changed

  • 73% of surveyed workers wanted flexible remote-work options to continue in early 2021 (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets; full-time employed or self-employed workers). (The Next Great Disruption Is…)
  • More than 65% of surveyed workers wanted more in-person time with their teams in early 2021 (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets). (The Next Great Disruption Is…)
  • 66% of business decision-makers were considering redesigning physical spaces for hybrid work (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets). (The Next Great Disruption Is…)
  • More than 40% of surveyed workers were considering leaving their employer in 2021 (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets). (The Next Great Disruption Is…)
  • 46% of surveyed workers planned to move because remote work made relocation possible (January 12–25, 2021; 31 markets). (The Next Great Disruption Is…)
  • Microsoft’s telemetry covered 122 billion email interactions and 2.3 billion Teams meeting interactions (February 2020–January 2021; Microsoft 365 users across industries and countries). (The Next Great Disruption Is…)

Independent online survey; market samples were evenly weighted.

Survey preference, not observed attendance.

Self-reported consideration, not completed redesigns.

Intent measure, not subsequent turnover.

Self-reported plans.

Aggregated, anonymized platform data; not the whole workforce.

Workplace collaboration data on meetings, chats and digital overload

Aggregated Microsoft 365 activity, not a representative all-worker sample.

Platform activity trend.

Workday span means first-to-last meeting or chat, not total work time.

Microsoft definition uses signals after 5 p.m.; not necessarily productive work.

Signal span, not hours worked.

Self-reported preference.

Perception measure; leader subgroup definition is Microsoft’s.

Platform telemetry; report presents the comparison as a global average.

Hybrid-work collaboration statistics on inclusion and connection

Self-reported meeting inclusion.

Respondent-reported organizational practice.

Plans and current activity combined.

Intent measure.

Retrospective self-report.

Self-reported comparison.

Perceived experience, not observed participation.

  • Remote work caused collaboration networks among 61,182 U.S. Microsoft employees to become more static and siloed, with fewer bridges between disparate groups (First six months of 2020; United States Microsoft employees). (The effects of remote work…)
  • MIT’s email-network study found more than 4,800 weak ties were lost during 18 months of lockdown-related de-co-location (18 months beginning December 26, 2019; 2,834 MIT faculty and postdocs). (The effect of co-location on…)
  • The MIT study analyzed email behavior of 2,834 faculty and postdocs over 18 months (December 26, 2019–2021; MIT campus). (The effect of co-location on…)

Peer-reviewed natural-experiment analysis of one company; result is directional in the abstract.

Research-community email network; weak ties are network links, not people.

Population is academic researchers, not general office workers.

Collaboration statistics for innovation and creative work

  • The Nature remote-collaboration study analyzed 20 million research articles and 4 million patent applications across roughly half a century (Approximately 50-year bibliometric window; Global research and invention records). (Remote collaboration fuses fewer breakthrough…)
  • Microsoft’s 2022 survey found 43% of leaders saw relationship-building as the greatest challenge in remote and hybrid work (January 7–February 16, 2022; 31 markets). (Great Expectations: Making Hybrid Work…)
  • Only 35% of respondents said they would be missed in most of their meetings (2023 Work Trend Index survey; 31 markets). (2023 Work Trend Index: Annual…)
  • 58% of surveyed workers said virtual meetings made brainstorming difficult (2023 Work Trend Index survey; 31 markets). (2023 Work Trend Index: Annual…)

Bibliometric records measure outputs, not every collaboration episode.

Perceived greatest challenge; leaders could select from the report’s options.

Meeting-perceived-importance measure, not meeting quality.

Self-reported difficulty.

Workplace collaboration outcomes: engagement, productivity and business results

  • Global disengagement was associated with an estimated $8.8 trillion in lost productivity in Gallup’s 2023 report (2022 global engagement data reported in 2023; Global economy). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • The $8.8 trillion estimate equaled about 9% of global GDP (2022 global engagement data reported in 2023; Global economy). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Gallup’s meta-analysis covered 112,312 business units when comparing high- and low-engagement teams (Meta-analysis reported 2023; Organizations in Gallup dataset). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Top-quartile engagement teams had 10% higher customer loyalty or engagement than bottom-quartile teams (Gallup meta-analysis reported 2023; Business units in Gallup meta-analysis). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Top-quartile engagement teams had 23% higher profitability than bottom-quartile teams (Gallup meta-analysis reported 2023; Business units in Gallup meta-analysis). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Top-quartile engagement teams had 18% higher sales productivity than bottom-quartile teams (Gallup meta-analysis reported 2023; Business units with sales productivity records). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Top-quartile engagement teams had 14% higher productivity on production records and evaluations (Gallup meta-analysis reported 2023; Business units with production records or evaluations). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Top-quartile engagement teams in high-turnover organizations had 18% lower turnover (Gallup meta-analysis reported 2023; Organizations with more than 40% annualized turnover). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • Top-quartile engagement teams in low-turnover organizations had 43% lower turnover (Gallup meta-analysis reported 2023; Organizations with 40% or lower annualized turnover). (Employee Engagement Strategies: Fixing the…)
  • 92% of workers at organizations they described as collaborative said their work had value, versus 50% at organizations with weak collaboration (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; 9,615 knowledge workers in the U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany and Japan). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)
  • 79% of workers at collaborative organizations felt well prepared to respond to emergent challenges, four times the rate reported for weak collaborators (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; 9,615 knowledge workers in six countries). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)
  • 55% of workers at collaborative organizations reported revenue growth over the previous three years, almost twice the rate among weak collaborators (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; prior three years; 9,615 knowledge workers in six countries). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)
  • Knowledge workers estimated improved processes could save 4.9 hours per week (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; 9,615 knowledge workers in six countries). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)
  • Work about work accounted for 58% of knowledge workers’ day in Asana’s 2023 index (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; Knowledge workers in six countries). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)
  • Unnecessary meetings consumed 2.8 hours per week for knowledge workers in the Asana index (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; Knowledge workers in six countries). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)
  • Unnecessary meetings consumed 3.6 hours per week for senior leaders in the same index (2023 Anatomy of Work Global Index; Senior leaders in six countries). (Asana Anatomy of Work Global…)

Gallup estimate based on engagement and economic assumptions; not a directly observed invoice total.

Derived from Gallup’s economic estimate.

Dataset spans organizations and industries; not a population census.

Association between engagement quartile and outcome.

Association; not a randomized collaboration intervention.

Outcome is sales productivity, not a direct collaboration score.

Association; outcome definition varies by business unit.

High-engagement versus low-engagement comparison; not proof of causation.

Self-described collaboration categories; cross-sectional association.

Company-level perception reported by workers; comparative multiplier is Asana’s report wording.

Worker-reported organizational outcome and collaboration strength; not audited revenue data.

Estimated potential saving, not measured realized time.

Self-estimated time allocation; work about work is Asana’s coordination category.

Self-reported estimate of unnecessary meetings.

Self-reported estimate; senior-leader subgroup.

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