Jessica BirdAlmost a third of UK employees are effectively awarding themselves three weeks of additional holiday a year by engaging in ‘time-wasting activities’ during working hours, new research has found.
A survey carried out by online retailer Haypp revealed that 30% of workers admitted to scrolling through social media each week when they should be working.
On average, employees said they spend 33 minutes a day doing so – equating to just over three weeks away from work annually.
The study identified the 10 most common time-wasting activities carried out during the working day.
Alongside social media use, 28% of employees admitted to texting, 26% said they cooked dinner, and 23% cleaned their house or completed personal admin.
One in five (21%) said they take personal phone calls, while 18% reported traffic delays and cigarette or vape breaks as regular interruptions.
17% of employees confessed to online shopping or volunteering to do the office tea round each week.
Workers who regularly make tea rounds gained an additional eight days away from their desk each year, while smokers and vapers take on average five to 10 minutes a day away from work, adding up to 39.1 hours annually – the equivalent of an extra week’s holiday.
Homeworking has contributed, with more than a quarter of respondents saying they cook dinner during work hours and nearly a quarter cleaning their homes while on the clock.
Markus Lindblad from Haypp said: “We conducted this research to find out who the biggest time wasters were in the workplace, and it’s been shocking to see how much additional time-off some people get from time-wasting habits that add up over the year.
“It’s also been interesting to see that a large proportion of UK smokers are still leaving work to smoke, despite the fact that they’re on the clock.
“I’d encourage smokers to look for smoke-free alternatives, like nicotine pouches, to get that nicotine hit without risking disciplinary action from their employer.
“Nicotine pouches are discreet, can be used at any time, and mean your colleagues don’t have to pick up the slack from your smoke breaks.”
