UK employees lose almost a full workday to disconnected AI

New research from enterprise software firm Workday finds UK employees lose almost a full workday each week switching between disconnected AI tools and internal systems. The survey reports one in four workers spends seven or more hours weekly copying information between applications, reconciling conflicting data and manually feeding context into AI tools.

Workday polled employees in the United Kingdom and found that more than half of respondents said AI helps them complete specific tasks faster. The company reported, however, that the time saved on individual tasks is often offset by time spent moving information between apps, checking outputs and resolving inconsistencies between systems.

The research lists routine administrative burdens as a common problem. Nearly eight in 10 UK workers said they are delayed by tasks such as chasing down data to feed into an AI prompt. Three-quarters of respondents said decisions are delayed when information is missing or unclear, and a similar share said teams often disagree about which figures are correct.

An IT director who took part in the study told the researchers, “Dealing with system glitches, chasing approval and constantly fixing or redoing work because of inconsistent data – it keeps me busy, but doesn’t feel like real progress.”

Workday reported that more than 60% of UK employees often or very often experience days that are “busy but unproductive,” compared with 43% of workers globally. The company also found higher reported stress related to tool fragmentation: 77% of UK respondents said their stress had increased because they must work with multiple, separate AI systems.

“My day often feels busy but not genuinely productive when I’m pulled into constant coordination tasks and system-related issues that interrupt focused, high-value work,” one survey participant wrote.

The survey found positive views alongside the problems. Eighty-one percent of UK employees said AI improves how their day-to-day work feels, and 45% said AI has accelerated their work in a productive way. Workday reported that only 23% of UK organizations have integrated AI into their core systems.

Among organizations that have AI built into central systems, 57% of employees reported task times fell by 25% or more. Where AI is not used in core systems, 39% of employees reported similar time reductions.

Daniel Pell, vice president and country manager for the UK and Ireland at Workday, described employees as “the human middleware” between disconnected AI systems and said companies are getting more value when AI is built into the systems where people, data and work come together.

Workday concluded many organizations focus on adding features rather than ensuring systems can share data and context. The company recommends embedding AI into core workflows so tools can surface insights and reduce the need for manual data transfer and reconciliation.