Bureaucracy is a burden – at least that’s what 93.2% of all employees say, regardless of their position. And this burden is not only annoying, it also costs time and money. So it’s time we talked about it: Bodo Antonic does just that and classifies where there are still weak points in companies. Together with the market and opinion research institute Civey, Bodo and we asked 2,500 employees what their thoughts were on the subject of bureaucracy in everyday working life. Here is an insight into the analysis of this study.
48.9% of respondents gave the extreme value of 10 when asked how much Germany is burdened by bureaucracy. That’s why Bodo advises: Keep your eyes open! Where can bureaucracy be reduced or even prevented? The big question is: where does bureaucracy come from in the first place? Is it dictated by laws and standards, or does the company set its own rules? Two thirds of those surveyed clearly see the cause as being external, and these regulations cannot be changed. However, Bodo also advises vigilance here – which rules that are “added on top” internally are actually necessary? Regularly putting yourself to the test is the way forward here.
If you look at the detailed evaluations, it becomes clear that we perceive bureaucracy differently. Where some people suffer from it, others see nothing – Bodo’s tip: ask questions and don’t make yourself the yardstick!
What are the consequences of too much bureaucracy? 66.8% of respondents say they have to do more unnecessary work, followed by the actual work being left undone and decisions being unnecessarily dragged out.
Bodo’s conclusion from the study:
You have to recognize bureaucracy before you fall prey to it yourself.
But how to deal with it? For more tips, classification and data, take a look at the study here (in german only). Bodo delves even deeper into the topic in this interview with Der Spiegel.
And you can find Bodo’s Website here.
