The cost of shadow work
Uncovering the $1.7 trillion tax on company growth
We call it shadow work, and it's quietly costing trillions. From expense claims to travel bookings, these tedious tasks are draining time, morale, and money. We commissioned Forrester Consulting to reveal the true scale of the problem, and uncover what leaders can do to solve it.
Based on Forrester Consulting research commissioned by Perk
The cost of shadow work every year
Across the countries we studied, shadow work costs businesses $1.7 trillion every year*.
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€99bn France$116 bn
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€188bn Germany$220 bn
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€29bn Netherlands$34 bn
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€44bn Spain$51 bn
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£95bn UK$128 bn
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US$564 bn
*Forrester calculated the cost of shadow work in each country, then weighted the results by workforce size and average salary - meaning larger, higher-income economies have a greater influence on the total
Employees lose 7 hours per week to shadow work
7 hours per week — average time employees spend per week on shadow work.
The biggest shadow work drains
Some tasks are less frequent but trigger high levels of frustration. Others are everyday tasks that slowly drain people and their time week after week.
Major headaches
Low frequency - high frustration
Some tasks people do less frequently but were ranked as the most frustrating shadow work tasks.
Travel booking 18%
Organizing team events 14%
Everyday drains
High frequency - high frustration
Others ranked more frequent tasks as their biggest point of frustration.
Filling expense claims 17%
Managing supplier invoices for materials/services 16%
The impact on employees
Shadow work isn't just a finance problem, it's an HR challenge too.
45% of employees feel burnt out as a result of shadow work
70% of decision makers say reducing shadow work would help attract and retain top talent
Shadow work is costing businesses over $1.7 trillion per year.
Download the full report to uncover the true scale of the problem and learn how you can solve it.
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Request a demoAbout the research
This report is based on a multi-phase research program conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Perk in September 2025 to quantify the scale and cost of shadow work and understand its impact on both business leaders and employees.
Perk surveyed: 721 decision makers in finance, operations, HR, and IT from small and mid-sized companies across the US, UK, Germany, The Netherlands, France, and Spain. 8,000 employees across the same geographies.
