‘Administrivia’ might not be a word you're aware of, but you’ll be familiar with the concept.

Administrivia is a term used to describe those admin tasks that are essential but often time-consuming. For employers and HR professionals, the effective management of administrivia is crucial for maintaining productivity and focusing on core business activities.

The Burden of Administrivia

According to McKinsey, middle managers often find themselves bogged down by administrative tasks, which diverts their focus from strategic roles. Managers are there to look after their teams and ‘manage’ them to ensure they’re performing.

If your managers are getting frustrated with unending paperwork and pointless meetings, they aren’t able to lead and support in a productive way. Teams who aren’t managed effectively can become frustrated in their jobs, and this sentiment can snowball.

It can lead to stress and decreased productivity, affecting the overall well-being of your team. The real cost of administrivia is in the lost opportunities for business growth and employee satisfaction.

Strategies to Combat Administrivia

Automation

Automation tools like email filters or appointment scheduling software can be a game-changer. They can significantly reduce the time spent on mundane tasks, allowing your team to focus on what matters.

With the advent of generative AI, there are thousands of automation tools out there now, many of them free.

Prioritization

Prioritizing tasks that align with your strategic goals can help you manage administrivia more effectively. It's not just about doing things right but doing the right things.

Reducing Unnecessary Meetings

One of the best ways to reduce unnecessary meetings is by making a pre-meeting agenda compulsory. While this might seem like additional pointless paperwork, there are multiple benefits to this.

First, by making people plan an agenda for a meeting it makes them think about what they actually need. Often you realise you can achieve what you need by dropping someone an email or giving them a call. If a meeting is necessary, a clear agenda with stated objectives ensures people will be prepared and everyone is working toward a clear goal. This makes meetings far more productive and at the same time can make them shorter.

Collaboration Tools

Utilizing project management software can centralize information and tasks, reducing the need for endless email threads and status update meetings. You don’t need 15 minutes for a status update when you can see where a project is in real-time.

Outsourcing

Outsourcing your more burdensome admin tasks can be a strategic move. For example, outsourcing background checks can free up your HR team to focus on more strategic tasks like talent acquisition and employee engagement.

Virtual assistants, for example, can manage your emails and schedule, allowing you to focus on decision-making and strategy. You can outsource pretty much anything these days.

If you’re an SME outsourcing can provide a cheaper alternative to recruitment whilst still allowing you to grow your business. You can find outsourcing solutions to everything from accounting to customer service.

Administrivia may seem like a minor concern, just one of those things you have to deal with, but its impact can be far-reaching. By taking a strategic approach to manage it, you can improve productivity and enhance employee satisfaction. After all, a focused team is a productive team.

Administrivia: The Hidden Drain on Productivity and 5 Ways to Combat It