Atlassian says being messy could get you fired

Almost two-thirds of workers say they would sack a disorganised colleague, new research from Atlassian reveals. Here’s how you can stay tidy and keep your job.

Atlassian says messy work habits can fuel resentment and hamper productivity, sparking a toxic culture.

Cleanliness is not just next to godliness — it’s also a ticket to ensuring you keep your job, according to new Atlassian research.

The $US74.01bn ($116.7bn) software titan surveyed about 6000 workers across six countries — including Australia — finding almost two-thirds would be willing to fire a disorganised colleague.

Molly Sands, head of Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab, said messy work habits can fuel resentment and hamper productivity, sparking a toxic culture.

“If you don’t consider yourself a particularly organised person, beware, as people have very little patience for their less organised co-workers. Almost 4 in 5 (78 per cent) of respondents said they’d rather take on extra work than be forced to collaborate with a disorganised colleague,” Dr Sands said.

“Furthermore, almost two-thirds of workers said they’d fire a disorganised team member if it meant improving overall results.

“It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise how resentful workers can be of a less-than-organised teammate. The lack of order can cause serious delays — and serious bad feelings.”

Molly Sands, head of Atlassian’s Teamwork Lab, suggest three steps to increase organisation and productivity

Atlassian makes software aimed at team collaboration to help keep projects on track, even when co-workers don’t work on the same site. Its revenue jumped 21 per cent to $US1.28bn in the second quarter.

Much of the momentum came from the company’s new artificial intelligence tool Rovo, Jira and planning product Trello which alone were responsible for $1.21bn in revenue — up 31 per cent year-on-year.

Atlassian co-founder and chief executive Mike Cannon-Brookes, Atlassian’s chief executive, told shareholders the company had now beaten its $US5bn annual revenue run-rate target.

Formula One team Williams is now adopting Atlassian’s system of work after the software giant became the team’s new title sponsor, as it looks to turn around its performance on the grid after finishing ninth out of the 10 F1 teams last season.

Dr Sands said being disorganised had team-wide consequences, with 56 per cent of respondents saying they had to take on extra work, while 40 per cent said they were forced to redo existing work.

As a result, 40 per cent reported tension in their team dynamics and 29 per cent said deadlines were missed.

But, Dr Sands said modern workplace methods, particularly the constant stream of emails, notifications and phone messages on platforms like Slack, were breeding chaos.

“This barrage of notifications is more than just a minor inconvenience; it’s a plague on productivity. Just as we cross a to-do off our list, another one pops up. It’s no wonder that two-thirds of employees end their day with unresolved tasks on their to-do lists.

“Workday lets you know your direct report’s time sheet is ready for approval. In mere moments, your focus time spirals into chaos, your to-do list expanding with relentless urgency.”

Dr Sands said personal productivity can be improved in three steps. This can be as simple as starting with a to-do list.

“An easy first step we’ve found to get a better handle of your to-dos, is to hone your ability to estimate how long a particular task is going to take. Then, set aside that time in your calendar, and do your best to protect it.

“This technique is called ‘timeboxing’, and it’s especially useful for people who struggle with procrastination or who often find themselves haplessly attempting to make progress on multiple projects at once, in the same short window.

“In a recent experiment with Atlassians, we found that 68 per cent made more progress when they timeboxed their calendar, and goal clarity improved for 55 per cent. The takeaway? When you orient your day around the most important tasks you need to accomplish, you’re, by design, identifying your most important work.”

Dr Sands also suggested making your calendar visible to your whole team, so they can see what you’re working on and when you’re doing it.

Workers also need to learn to say no to time-sapping tasks earlier, rather than letting them fester and overwhelm to-do lists, she said.

“Organised people are 1.4 times more likely to delete items from their to-do list if they don’t complete them within a few days.

“Rather than letting tasks linger — and eventually end up on the chopping block — get in the habit of saying ‘no’ earlier than later. And remember, if a task is neither impactful nor urgent, it may not need to be on your to-do list in the first place.”

Dr Sands said charting to-do lists was another way to boost productivity and stay organised.

“At the end of each workday, take a few minutes to set a top to-do for the following day, and rejig your schedule to ensure it’s set up to enable you all the time and space you need to get it done.

“The top to-do should be one, just one, high-impact task on your plate that you can’t delegate or ignore — or quietly delete from your to-do list.

“Starting small is key. Accomplishing one big thing every day gives you strong momentum. It’s easy for deep-working, task-accomplishing time to take a back seat to meetings, pings, and returning emails.

“Real productivity means making way for real work; a top to-do is a sure-fire way of getting there.”

Originally published as Atlassian says being messy could get you fired