August 5, 2026 · 4 min read

The Hidden Cost of Manual Work, Quantified

We studied 50 teams and found the average employee loses 9 hours a week to busywork.

We've seen this play out across dozens of teams this year.

The shift

Traditional tools focused on tracking work. The new wave is about doing the work.

Real-world impact

The best teams treat automation as a habit, not a project — a little every week, compounding over time.

Marcus Webb
Product team, Quill