Let’s face it. Our devices seem to demand our attention even when we’re trying our best to keep our full focus on our work.
Whether it’s your coworker wanting to gossip or your video game beckoning you to get to the next level, it’s difficult to ignore the temptation to slack off. And, for those who’re working from home with kids in the mix, distractions abound.
Resume Now wanted to find out what the top distractions were for American workers. Over 950 employees answered a survey on top workplace time wasters.
Some of the key findings on time wasters at work:
- Kids was the #1 distraction
- 30% of the employees spend 1-2 hours not working during business hours
- Fully remote workers felt more distracted than those in the office
- Being on a dating app was the #1 activity for 7% of all respondents
It was clear from the study that being sidelined from work is par for the course.
There were some expected results, but also interesting revelations.
As women are generally more communicative, it wasn’t surprising that women were more diverted by chatting with text messaging than men.
- 47% of females selected “chatting” as their #1 workplace recreation activity vs. 43% of males
And the Millennial communication style fit the stereotype—less inclined to have in-person communication than those over thirty-nine.
- 8% of those 39 and up selected “chatting in person with a coworker,” vs. a scant 2% of those 38 and under.
Higher education played more of a role than was expected for some questions.
- 23% of those with associate’s or bachelor’s degrees said they needed to “be in the mood” to work vs. just 10% of those without degrees
Difference in education also was a factor in who got into trouble. Those with a master’s or doctorate—54%—had been punished in some way for getting sidetracked from their duties, compared with a scant 10% of those with no college degree.
It was no surprise that social media was one of the top go-to distractors. The study showed what the most popular sites are. Facebook topped the list across the board, but 42% of women selected Facebook as their top social media vs. 30% of men.
Dating apps, watching videos, and job searching were also popular time-waster choices. But, how much and for who?
Keep scrolling to find out.
