73%
feel at least slightly miserable due to admin work
2026 Admin Misery Index
What administrative work is really costing 1,600 professionals, and where they are (and aren’t) looking to AI for relief
Administrative work is quietly draining professionals across every industry. Based on a survey of 1,600 U.S. professionals, including 400 in legal, admin work is leading to significant feelings of misery and becoming a hidden tax on businesses. This report breaks down the real cost of admin work and explores the case for and against AI support.
The numbers don't lie: Admin work takes a real toll
Key takeaways
Admin work takes a real toll everywhere, affecting more than just professionals' to-do lists.
It weighs heavily on legal professionals in particular, with sharper stakes, cutting directly into billable revenue every month.
Professionals already know which tasks they want off their plate, but tedious, manual processes and lack of automation—along with trust concerns—are what's actually slowing AI adoption down.
What does the 2026 Admin Misery Index cover?
Based on two surveys gathering responses from 1,600 U.S. professionals—1,200 across corporate and professional services roles, plus 400 in legal—this report quantifies the administrative burden professionals carry and their desire for, and reservations with, AI support.
Topics explored include:
How admin work affects professionals across every industry, and where they’re feeling the most drag
The real revenue impact of admin work for law firms specifically
Where professionals want AI's help most, and what's standing in the way
A look into the cost of admin and whether AI gives the time back
Admin work is a burden in every industry
Administrative work is weighing on people across every corner of the professional world. Nearly three in four professionals say administrative tasks are getting in the way of their core job responsibilities at least sometimes.
Inside the report:
How much productive time professionals lose to admin work each week
The share of professionals putting in off-hours work just to keep up
How widespread admin-driven "Sunday Scaries" really are
For law firms, lost hours are lost revenue
Legal professionals report strain on par with—or worse than—the broader workforce, despite carrying higher-stakes, compliance-heavy workloads. Time tracking failures delay billing, delayed billing stalls collection, and stalled collection means more back-and-forth with clients.
Inside the report:
The average monthly revenue firms lose to admin work
How many legal professionals say admin work is holding back their firm's growth
What legal professionals name as their single biggest admin headache
Professionals want support through AI, if they can trust it
Across the broader workforce, professionals know exactly which admin tasks they'd hand off to AI first. What's holding many back are barriers like a lack of automation at their businesses and a lack of trust.
Inside the report:
The top tasks professionals want AI to take on
The real barriers standing in the way of adoption
Where lack of trust in AI actually ranks among the reasons adoption stalls
A look into the cost of admin and whether AI gives the time back
Ready to unlock your potential with 8am?
Let’s talk about our tailored solutions, built to help you work smarter, grow faster, and win more.