labor lawAdivision of labor law center

Two recent studies show that while Americans waste a lot of time at work, they are among the most productive workers in the world, thanks in part to putting in long hours. 

If it seems like a lot of your employees and coworkers are wasting time…that’s probably because they are. A recent survey of 3,800 office workers shows that many people are highly adept at goofing off at work, a concern for many employers. 

Yet, according to a United Nations report on workplace productivity, Americans produce more per person than workers in any other developed nation. Their per-hour productivity is second only to workers in Norway, where the average worker generates goods worth $37.99 per hour. In the U.S., the average worker produces $35.63 per hour. This is more than any nation in the European Union, and about 50 cents more than in France, which ranks third.  

This is true despite the amount of time that American workers waste. A recent survey by MSN-Zogby shows that office workers waste an incredible amount of time. In fact, 21% of workers admit to watching TV online at work. And that’s not the worst of it. Six percent of workers freely admit looking at pornography on their work computer. Yet, a recent report by the U.S. Department of Labor hails American workers as among the nation’s most productive.  

And we don’t waste time only on the internet. More than 50% of workers in all age groups reported spending time gossiping, instead of working. About 46% said that they pay personal bills on company time, while 38% have looked for a new job online at work at sites like Careerbuilder.com. 

Twenty percent of workers have answered a personal call on their cell phone during a business meeting, while 17% admit to sending a personal text message while in conference. Parents did this more often than workers without minor children living in the home, 25% compared to 17%.  

Younger workers wasted more time than older workers, and were more likely to job-hunt online while at work. Workers aged 18 to 29 were more likely to engage in recreational activities at work than their older counterparts, regardless of the activity. A whopping 66% in this age group reported gossiping on company time. About 52% of  workers aged 30 to 64 admitted gossiping, with just 43% of workers over the age of 64 wasting company time in this way. 

Men wasted more time than women. Twenty-three percent of men admit to watching TV online at their work computer, while only 17% of woman do. For pornography, 10% of men admit accessing X-rated sites from their work computers, while only 1% of women indulged. The only exception to this trend was in gossiping, where more women than men admitted to spreading rumors at work, at 68% vs. 55%. 

The type of time-wasting that employees indulged in depends in part on their income bracket, although the lowest-paid workers waste the most time. Lower-paid workers wasted more time on the internet than those who earn more. They also sent more private emails and texts from meetings.  Nearly 50% of low-paid workers confessed to looking for a job online on company time – presumably, a better paying one. 

Among workers who earn $25,000 to $35,000 per year, 68% spent time gossiping at work. Workers in the middle income bracket spent more time paying personal bills at work, while the highest-paid workers took more personal calls during meetings.  

How is it possible that U.S. workers are so productive while wasting so much time? Well, it’s likely that workers in other countries are wasting even more time. Also, the MSN-Zogby survey measured the number of workers who had ever indulged in such an activity, not who did so on a regular basis. Finally, the survey didn’t differentiate between workers who waste 15 minutes per day on the Internet, and those who waste 4 hours per day. 

Last 10 posts by Amelia

• Colorado Reduces Minimum Wage in 2010 - November 20th, 2009
• New Law Expands FMLA and NDAA for Military Families - October 30th, 2009
• California Approves Exempt Salary Reduction - October 16th, 2009
• 3 New Illinois Laws - October 9th, 2009
• New Definition of Disability - September 25th, 2009
• E-Verify Regulations - September 18th, 2009
• New USERRA Regulations - September 2nd, 2009
• E-Verify News - August 26th, 2009
• New Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Law - August 19th, 2009
• Louisiana Minimum Wage - August 3rd, 2009