February 2007

Survey shows personal tasks use 3 work hours a week

Two surveys developed by OfficeTeam revealed that employees spend an average of 36 minutes per day, or the equivalent of three hours a week, attending to personal tasks at the office.

When executives were asked the same question, they estimated staff members spent an average of 43 minutes each day on non-work activities.

“There are only so many hours in the day to meet job requirements and personal obligations, and employers are aware that not all of the work day is spent on business,” said Diane Domeyer, executive director of OfficeTeam. “In fact, some businesses have responded by providing staff with on-site daycare or concierge-type services such as dry cleaning and personal shopping.”

But Domeyer pointed out that misuse of company time can lead to significant losses in productivity. “The best employers take steps to accommodate the need by staff for work-life balance,” she said. “Unfortunately, employees who abuse these benefits undermine the success of the programs.”

In the survey of workers, differences by gender and age emerged: Women said they take an average of 29 minutes daily to attend to personal tasks during office hours, while men admitted to spending 44 minutes each day on non-work related activities. Younger employees between the ages of 18 and 34 estimated spending an average of 45 minutes each day on personal pursuits at work, compared to 32 minutes for those between the ages of 35 and 64, and 17 minutes for workers age 65 years or older.

Full survey results can be found at www.officeteam.com/pressroom.

Source: OfficeTeam, www.officeteam.com

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