Since Covid-19 lockdowns became a normal part of life a few years ago, the work from home model has been embraced and even leveraged in some instances.
A recent survey revealed that remote work enables workers to check out their social media, do some online shopping, run errands and even have sex while on the clock.
The frequent non-work related activities during the day mean one in seven employees only log in three to four hours of proper work, says the survey which was carried out on 1000 remote workers in the US by travel advice website Upgraded Points.
New York Post reported that 10.5 per cent of multi-taskers confessed to a “nooner” during work hours and 11.8 per cent admitted to drinking on company time.
71.6 per cent revealed that they did household chores during their 9 to 5, 37.4 per cent ran errands, 24 per cent engaged in a power nap and 23 per cent admitted to going to the doctor during work hours, according to the survey.
The study also proved that 74.7 per cent of WFH employees scrolled on social media, 69.6 per cent engaged in online shopping, 52.9 per cent watched movies and 32.2 per cent spent time researching and planning future holidays.
Gen Z evade work with sneaky move
In a sneaky attempt to fool their bosses, 3 in 10 people who busy themselves with extra-curricular activities during work time evade their bosses by moving their mouse every few minutes so that their status says “active” as opposed to “away” or “offline”, the study showed.
Upgraded Points revealed that Gen Z is the generation most likely to employ the tactic with 50.7 per cent of remote workers admitting to this scheme.
The survey also revealed that WFH employees often work from spaces other than their homes.
While majority of people work from their home, 13.7 per cent opt for working from a local coffee shop, 12.4 per cent head to a friend’s house and 4.2 per cent work at a co-working space.
What’s more, 5.6 per cent of WFH employees “go to work” in airports, while 3.0 per cent do their jobs from aeroplanes.
Workforce feels more productive
Despite seeming distracted during work hours, two-thirds of WFH employees revealed that they feel more productive when they are free from office place mandates.
What’s more, the study proved that four-day working weeks might be the way of the future. The study encouraged bosses to contemplate making the work week shorter due to the 80 per cent of survey-takers who said they would spend more time on given tasks if they only had to work four out of seven days.
Panasonic and thredUP are two of 10 US based companies that are buying into this initiative, revealing that it increases productivity, reduces costs and retains talent.
Down under, Oxfam Australia was the first company to jump ship to the four-day work week. Family-owned EES Shipping in Perth also adopted the trial.
Sixty-one businesses in the UK with around 2900 employees tested out a four-day work week schedule from June to November in 2022.