Wasted workday: How tech is getting in the way of employee productivity

TECHNOLOGY: Employees use an average of 11?applications and platforms ?in their day-to-day work, from email and messaging platforms to?project management tools, according to Glean . Within this use comes an average of 35 times per week that an employee searches for documents or information. Most employees, the survey reports, spend a median 13 minutes looking for what they need before asking for help. Added up, this comes out to almost an entire workday wasted.

"There is an increasingly large number of tools that companies are using," says Arvind Jain, CEO of Glean. "Overload is universal, people are struggling, and newer workers are finding it very hard to onboard."

Read: Too much tech? A confusing web of workplace tools can drain employee productivity

MEDICAL EXPENSES: It's been nearly two years since the Hospital Transparency Rule went into effect, requiring all hospitals in the U.S. to make their rates for care available to the public. But did they deliver?

According to healthcare pricing platform? Turquoise Health , 76% of hospitals in the U.S. have posted machine-readable files containing pricing information — over half of those hospitals have been rated at five stars by Turquoise, meaning they published a significant quantity of cash and negotiated rates for their items and services.?Given that healthcare prices are expected to rise by 6.5% in 2023, transparency can be a powerful tool.?Here's what this mean for employers and their benefit plans.

Read: Two years in, is the Hospital Price Transparency Rule a success?

WORKPLACE SAFETY: AdvisorSmith , a small business online resource, ranked 25 of the most dangerous jobs in the U.S., placing delivery drivers at number eight with 28 fatal injuries per 100 workers, along with an average annual salary of $34,340. While this occupation is vital to the flow of goods and services across the country, employers and drivers may not be doing enough to prioritize their safety, leading to unnecessary loss and legal nightmares.

"It certainly doesn't surprise me that there are a lot of incidents involving delivery drivers," says Aaron Davis, personal injury attorney and partner at Davis Goldman, a law firm based in South Florida. "You're going to places that haven't been vetted, and people are often more focused on meeting deadlines rather than their own personal safety."

Read: The country's most dangerous jobs: An injury attorney reveals what's at stake for delivery drivers this holiday season