Inefficient searches for documents in internal federal databases are resulting in billions of dollars in lost productivity each year, a new study finds.
The study, conducted by online government IT community MeriTalk, DLT Solutions and Google, found 87 percent of federal employees spend time each day searching internal databases for information. Those feds estimate the time wasted searching those databases equates to more than a month of work time each year. Considering the average federal salary of $74,403, that results in an estimated $15.4 billion wasted annually, MeriTalk found.
In addition, MeriTalk found 49 percent of those surveyed have worked remotely in the past 12 months, but of this group, many had more difficulty locating federal files from their remote offices.
The study is a result of a survey of 300 federal employees conducted in July 2010 aimed at determining if and how they find the documents they need and the role internal file searches play in their workday.
Federal workers cited insufficient training, inconsistent "tagging" of information and not knowing what information is available as the top contributors to unproductive searching. Still, only 22 percent of those surveyed said their agencies are focused on improving file search efficiency.
MeriTalk noted employees could save an average of an hour daily if they were able to search agency files like they search for other online information. Federal workers surveyed recommended that agencies prioritize file search efficiency, develop interagency guidelines for filing and saving federal documents, and train all employees to properly save and locate federal files.
Have inefficient file searches resulted in lost productivity for you?
Brittany Ballenstedt
Brittany Ballenstedt writes Nextgov's Wired Workplace blog, which delves into the issues facing employees who work in the federal information technology sector. Before joining Nextgov, Brittany covered federal pay and benefits issues as a staff correspondent for Government Executive and served as an associate editor for National Journal's Technology Daily. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Mansfield University and originally hails from Pennsylvania. She currently lives near Travis Air Force Base, Calif., where her husband is stationed.
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