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Canadian Employees Waste Nearly One Day a Week on Non-Work Activities

TORONTO, July 19, 2017 /CNW/ - If you've ever felt like there's not enough time in the work week, your cell phone and list of errands may be to blame. Canadian professionals surveyed by staffing firm OfficeTeam said they squander an average of 43 minutes per day, or the equivalent of more than three and a half hours a week, using their mobile device for non-work activities in the office. In contrast, senior managers estimate their staff members spend 32 minutes each day on their cell phones during business hours.

Workers also admitted to clocking 40 minutes a day on personal tasks. All in all, the average employee could be wasting nearly 7 hours per work week on activities unrelated to the job.

Additional findings:

• Employees ages 18 to 34 rack up 58 minutes a day on mobile devices and 52 minutes daily on activities unrelated to their jobs, the most of all age groups.
• While 38 per cent of managers think staff spend the most time on social networks when using their own mobile devices during business hours, workers said they're most occupied by personal email (35 per cent).
• Workers reported social media (27 per cent) and entertainment web pages (19 per cent) are most commonly blocked at their companies. More than half of respondents (58 per cent) indicated their organization doesn't restrict access to online content.
• Respondents ages 55 and over most frequently check non-work email on their cell phones (45 per cent). Workers ages 18 to 34 are the group most likely to peruse social networks (29 per cent).
• More than one-third of employees (35 per cent) often use their personal devices at work to visit pages that are banned by their company. Which may come as a surprise to 60 per cent of managers, who think it's more common.
• Forty-one per cent of male workers frequently use their cell phones to access blocked websites in the office, compared to 29 per cent of females.

"While managers recognize that staff will periodically need to check in on their life outside of work, employees should try to limit distractions from personal texts, emails or errands," said Koula Vasilopoulos, a district president for OfficeTeam. "To stay focused and productive, turn off the ringer of your mobile devices while working and instead use your breaks or lunch hour to catch up on personal matters."

About the Research
The surveys of workers and senior managers were developed by OfficeTeam. They were conducted by independent research firms and include responses from more than 400 Canadian workers 18 years of age or older and employed in office environments, and more than 300 senior managers at Canadian companies with 20 or more employees.

About OfficeTeam
OfficeTeam, a Robert Half company, is the nation's leading staffing service specializing in the temporary placement of highly skilled office and administrative support professionals. The company has 300 locations worldwide. For additional information, visit roberthalf.ca/officeteam. Follow @RobertHalf_CAN on Twitter and the OfficeTeam Take Note^® blog at roberthalf.com/officeteam/blog for career and management advice.

OfficeTeam
181 Bay Street, Suite 820
Toronto, ON M5J 2T3
Contact: Naz Araghian
416.865.2140
naz.araghian@roberthalf.com  

SOURCE OfficeTeam