Workplace miscommunication is draining time, straining relationships and affecting employee mental health, according to new research which found that 87% of UK workers waste an average of five hours a week clarifying or correcting emails and chat messages.
The findings, from work management software Atlassian, come as the UK faces continued economic pressure. Latest data from the Office for National Statistics shows the economy grew by just 0.1% last quarter, placing renewed focus on productivity.
While burnout and constant meetings are often cited as key barriers to output, the research suggests that unclear communication is also slowing organisations down.
For many employees, the impact goes beyond inconvenience. Confusing or poorly worded messages are creating avoidable mistakes and in some cases escalating into formal workplace issues. The cumulative effect is not only operational but personal, shaping how people feel about their roles and colleagues.
The Consequences of Miscommunication
The data indicates that 83% of UK workers have experienced misread messages triggering real consequences at work, from damaged co-worker relationships at 38% to HR escalation at 32%. More than half at 64% say they have been reprimanded by their managers because a message they sent was misunderstood or the tone was perceived negatively. In more serious cases, 14% report that miscommunication was a factor in a colleague being dismissed.
The uncertainty created by unclear exchanges is also influencing retention. Nearly a third at 29% have considered changing jobs after a workplace miscommunication. In a challenging labour market, a single misconstrued message from a manager can prompt employees to reassess their position.
The emotional toll continues after the working day ends. Some 61% of UK workers say they replay the fallout from a misinterpreted message long after logging off. This lingering stress highlights how digital communication can affect psychological safety and home life as well as performance.
Email and chat remain dominant tools across organisations, yet they are seen as the main sources of crossed wires. Some 43% identify chat as the most misunderstood method of communication and 33% rank email second. Even employees who prefer these formats acknowledge their limitations. A total of 72% say they have initially felt offended by an email or chat message that they later realised had been misinterpreted.
The Impact on Workplace Wellbeing
As teams collaborate across locations and time zones, many employees favour more direct forms of contact when clarity matters. A third at 33% prefer in-person or virtual face-to-face communication when a colleague is explaining a task. More than three-quarters at 76% believe a short recorded video message would help prevent misunderstanding by conveying tone intent and context more clearly.
“Miscommunication isn’t a personality flaw or a minor quirk of remote work. It’s a measurable drag on productivity culture and wellbeing,” says Jesse Feldman Head of Loom PMM Atlassian. “Written communication will always matter but we can’t always outsource complex sensitive or nuanced messages to AI writing tools. In the modern working world leaders and managers need to set the tone by choosing richer formats when it really counts – sometimes a short recorded video is the best way to deliver an update with emotional resonance.”
The research suggests that the issue is not the existence of email and chat but how they are used. Leaders and managers are encouraged to be more deliberate about when to rely on text and when to switch to richer formats. Using asynchronous video where tone and context are critical may reduce the emotional strain caused by second-guessing the meaning of brief written messages.