Record Number of People Waste Time at Work

Scheduling a hair appointment, reading the newspaper online, chatting with co-workers—we all do it. But how often do we do it?

Salary.com’s fourth annual Wasting Time at Work survey found that:

n 64% of respondents reported wasting one hour or less each day; 22% wasted approximately two hours daily; and 14% wasted three or more hours each workday.

n The top five time-wasting activities were: Internet use (48% of respondents), socializing with co-workers (33%), conducting personal business (30%), personal phone calls (19%), and long lunches or breaks (15%).

n The top five reasons for wasting time were: being unsatisfied with work (46%), feeling underpaid for their work (34%), not having deadlines or incentives (24%), work hours being too long (19%), and being distracted by co-workers or relatives (18%).

n Individuals with at least a bachelor’s degree tend to waste slightly more time during the workday. Salary.com said this is probably because these employees hold higher-level positions within their organizations and are not under as close supervision.