Dawdling through tasks, watching the minute hand tick by and scrolling through social media to get through the day is what no boss expects of their employee.
However, one in ten employees (11%) say that half the working week is spent wasting time, whilst 72% believe that 30% of the working week goes to waste, according to research conducted by Survey Sampling International on behalf of SEEK.
People management specialist Karen Gately said people often wasted time because they were tired or disengaged — or both.
“Whether it be with their job, team or the organisation as a whole, when people lose interest, trust or respect, they are entirely more likely to lack focus and energy,” she said.
“While, of course, time-wasting can reflect a poor work ethic and deliberate attempt to skive, in most cases people are simply struggling to muster the energy needed to focus on what they need to do.
“Boredom, frustration, resentment and disinterest are just a few examples of the mental and emotional states that drain people of energy and hold them back from getting on with getting the job done.
“A lack of personal accountability for the standard of the contribution they make is another common reason people are less productive than they could be.”
Click next to reveal the top five ways employees waste time.
