European companies are struggling with a widening gap between leadership perceptions and employees’ day-to-day experience of administrative workload, according to new research from Ricoh Europe. The study warns that persistent reliance on manual processes is eroding productivity and exposing organisations to operational and compliance risks.

Across six major European markets, both staff and senior decision-makers report that routine administrative duties are consuming a disproportionate share of the working week. More than a quarter of executives (28%) believe employees spend most of their day on non-core tasks. Employees broadly agree, with 26% saying routine admin dominates their workload. On average, the research suggests office workers spend around 15 hours a week — nearly two full working days — on five principal administrative tasks, from document management to manual reporting.

Only 43% of office workers say they spend the majority of their time on value-driving work.

The operational risks associated with outdated processes appear to be growing. Six in ten decision-makers and just under half of office workers reported witnessing a serious or near-miss error caused by incorrect or outdated information over the last five years. In the same period, 62% of executives said their organisation had experienced or narrowly avoided a compliance or data breach linked to poorly managed documentation.

Employees also point to persistent daily frustrations — re-entering data into multiple systems, navigating crowded inboxes and searching across different drives for files — which they say chip away at productivity and morale. Almost a quarter say administrative overload limits their output, while one in five say it curbs creativity. Many argue that reducing these tasks could enable more strategic decision-making and faster project delivery.

Despite this, the report highlights a lack of action. A quarter of employees believe senior leaders underestimate the scale of the problem, and only 18% feel their employer cares about the administrative burden they face. This contrasts with sentiment among decision-makers, with 61% saying new tools have already simplified workflows, and 44% identifying automation of repetitive tasks as the single biggest opportunity for improvement.

Jason Spry, Process Automation Commercial Director at Ricoh Europe, said the findings point to “major disconnects” within organisations. “Employees say they’re spending a significant amount of time on admin. Decision makers believe they are too. But workers don’t think leaders are aware — or if they are, that they’re taking no action.

“These tasks remain a huge time drain. Businesses need to act. The benefits are too significant to ignore, from improving employee wellbeing to freeing people to focus on work that drives growth. Effective automation can also strengthen governance and reduce compliance risk.”

The report suggests that many companies recognise the strategic value of automation but have yet to prioritise implementation, leaving significant potential productivity gains unrealised.