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Waltham,
MA,
October 28, 2008
-- Salary.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: SLRY), a leading provider of on-demand compensation and talent management solutions, today announced the results of its fourth annual Wasting Time at Work Survey. While the survey revealed that 73 percent of survey respondents spend part of their workday on activities that are not work-related – such as personal email, talking with co-workers or surfing the Web – the amount of hours wasted per day has remained fairly stable during the past four years. Twenty-two percent of respondents admit to wasting up to two hours per day, down slightly from 24 percent in 2007.
For the fourth consecutive year, the top three "time-wasting" activities remain personal Internet use (48 percent of respondents), socializing with co-workers (33 percent of respondents) and conducting personal business (30 percent of respondents). Other time-wasting activities include making personal phone calls and taking long lunch breaks while on the job.
This year's survey also revealed that the reasons people waste time are different from previous years. In 2008, most employees who waste time at work do so because they are "unsatisfied at work" (46 percent) or "feel underpaid" (34 percent) for the work they do. These top answers differ from last year's, which cited "boredom" and "lack of challenge" as the two main reasons for wasting time on the job. For more reasons, click here.
How much time is wasted?
Although the percentage of respondents wasting time at work has increased, the average amount of time spent on time-wasting activities during the workday has decreased. In 2007, 46 percent of respondents reported spending two or more hours compared with only 36 percent in 2008. Interestingly, from 2007 to 2008, there was a ten percentage point increase in the number of respondents who wasted less than 1 hour per day. In 2008, 64 percent of respondents who said they waste time at work reported spending one hour or less on time-wasting activities compared to 54 percent in 2007.
Even those respondents who reported that they do not waste time are in fact engaging in non-work related activities. Of the 27 percent of respondents who said they do not waste time at work, 33 percent report spending an average of one hour or less on activities that are not work related — thus wasting time without acknowledging it. The most popular activity for these respondents is socializing with co-workers.
Interestingly, survey respondents also feel that some of their actual work-related activities reduce their productivity, such as fixing someone else's work (54 percent), dealing with office politics (47 percent) and waiting for a co-worker to finish something that is needed (42 percent).
"While there are many reasons people waste time at work, it's clear from the survey data that many employees are unsatisfied and feel underpaid for the work they do," stated Bill Coleman, chief compensation officer, Salary.com. "Companies are facing a weakened economy, tighter budgets and new stresses on labor markets, all of which can attribute feelings of anxiety and dissatisfaction within the workforce. Now more than ever, senior managers must rely on technology to motivate and engage employees, identify employees with 'high potential,' and cut down on lack of productivity costs and employee turnover."
Taking current concern over escalating fuel costs into consideration, questions about telecommuting as on option for workers were added to this year's survey. Only 15 percent of survey respondents indicated that they currently telecommute. Although 70 percent of respondents indicated that they would take advantage of a telecommuting option, a surprising 49 percent feel that they are more productive in an office environment.
Other findings from the 2008 Wasting Time at Work Survey include:
- Regardless of job level, 67–79 percent of employees within each job level indicate they waste time at work.
- Employees age 50 and over waste the least amount of time, with 44 percent reporting they waste half an hour or less each day.
- Seventy-five percent of respondents report that some office-related activities cut into productive work time.
About the 2008 Wasting Time at Work Survey
Salary.com surveyed more than 2,500 employees across all job levels during July and August of 2008. The survey was conducted on-line and responses were submitted electronically. Salary.com compensation professionals reviewed the data for accuracy and consistency and aggregated the valid submissions. For the complete article, click here.
About Salary.com, Inc.
Salary.com™ is a leading provider of on-demand compensation and talent management solutions helping businesses and individuals manage pay and performance. Salary.com's highly configurable software applications, proprietary data and consulting services help HR and compensation professionals automate, streamline and optimize critical talent management processes including: market pricing, compensation planning, performance management, competency management and succession planning. Built with compensation and competency data at the core, Salary.com solutions provide businesses of all sizes with the most productive and cost-effective way to manage and inspire their most important asset — their people. For more information, visit www.salary.com.
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