Unplanned work is increasingly impacting businesses by causing productivity losses, customer dissatisfaction, and employee burnout, with 77% of tech employees reportedly losing 100 hours or more of productivity annually. In operations, companies can mitigate this by clearly defining departmental focuses and encouraging leadership to reprioritize tasks as needed. In IT, managing unplanned work involves resisting pressure from the loudest voices and using automated systems to preemptively address issues. Effective risk management requires planning for the unexpected and adapting to unforeseen challenges, while DevOps teams should maintain an agile roadmap to accommodate both minor and significant unplanned tasks. In customer service, reducing unplanned work through incident management programs can minimize disruptions and improve employee and customer satisfaction.