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The rise of hybrid and remote work has allowed employees greater flexibility, but it has also blurred the boundaries between work-time and leisure.
A new survey by streaming service Tubi is giving many business leaders the vapours and adding weight to their pleas for a return to office, by revealing that 84% of Gen Z employees admit to watching TV shows or movies while working from home, with over half even delaying tasks to finish a binge-worthy series.
For some, it represents clear evidence of declining productivity, poor attitudes, and reinforces concerns that younger employees lack the discipline to be able to strike a decent work/life balance. For others, it’s merely a reflection of how work itself is evolving and the new reality of the work from home culture.
So, is streaming at work a productivity killer, or is it simply the new version of having the radio on in the background?
One HR Grapevine reader commented: “WFH can be beneficial to both the employee and company. It allows more flexibility for the employee, commute time and if the employee is performing or over performing, it can be a cost saving to the company. This allows more space for those that do need to be on-site. Re: Netflix, people can do that on their phones at any time and could be watching at work as well. As long as the employee is performing, I feel that this is not something that should be a reason to RTO.”
Employer distrust and the push for RTO
Despite the apparent benefits of flexibility, many business leaders remain skeptical of remote work. The Tubi survey provides more ammunition for executives advocating for return-to-office (RTO) mandates. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon has been particularly vocal about his concerns, even got a little bit sweary about it, arguing that remote work hinders professional development, especially for younger employees.
This skepticism isn’t entirely unfounded. Research from Workhuman found that Gen Z and millennial employees are most likely to engage in “fauxductivity”, the act of appearing busy without actually working. A 2024 survey of 3,000 full-time employees in the US, UK, and Ireland revealed that over 30% of younger workers admit to faking activity on the job.
If employees are using work hours to stream TV shows, is it really any different from endlessly scrolling social media or engaging in non-work-related chats, or taking a smoke break?
For employers already wary of remote work, the data is manna from Heaven in reinforcing the argument that employees need in-office supervision to stay focused and engaged.
Rethinking productivity in a digital-first era
Some HR professionals argue, however, that such concerns miss the bigger picture. The way we measure productivity is changing, and traditional metrics may not fully capture modern work habits.
Having a show, podcast, or music in the background can actually enhance concentration, argue some observers.
But you wouldn’t allow that in the office would you? Then again, if you’re working solo it’s not a distraction for anyone else.
For Gen Z workers, raised in a digital-first world, multitasking with background entertainment is second nature. While nearly half admitted to hiding their streaming habits from their bosses, their reluctance to return to the office may have more to do with autonomy than with entertainment.
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“Yes, Gen Z streaming at work is happening, but it’s not necessarily a problem,” said Patrice Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad. “This is a signal that we need to rethink our understanding of attention and productivity rather than punish new ways of working.”
Everyone works at different levels of intensity, different pace and produce different results.
The bottom line
Rather than focusing on whether employees are streaming during work hours, businesses may need to reassess how they define productivity.
Does it matter if an employee has a show playing in the background, as long as the work gets done? Should managers be more concerned with measurable outcomes rather than rigid monitoring of how time is spent? There’s plenty of data cited that says working from home improves productivity, so what’s the issue?
While some business leaders will use the survey as a reason to continue to push for in-office mandates, others may recognize that the real challenge isn’t streaming, it’s trust.
But while much of the argument for remote working centres around bosses treating their workers with that level of maturity and trust, catching up on the latest episode of White Lotus when you should be focused on your tasks feels like, if not a betrayal, then certainly a misunderstanding of the rules.
Perhaps the issue is that a new set of rules has been drawn up by both workers and bosses but, because they are changing continually nobody has yet signed off on them.
Is streaming at work ok? Or is it proof that working from home just isn't working? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below...
Kevin Epley
Sharon Fisher