Employees Wasting Time at Work? Fail-Proof Ways to Tell

There’s a good chance that someone in your organization is wasting time at work (such as an extra-long lunch break) right now.

When a software engineer on the anonymous workplace community Blind posted a poll question last year asking how many actual hours per day people spend working, more than 9,200 verified professionals responded. A shocking finding: Almost half (45%) of workers only put in four hours of focused work a day.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean your people are professional nap champions. Focused work is different from just being at your desk.

Folks working from home may be fighting off the temptation of wasting time at work because the siren song of the fridge, or those piles of laundry, are calling.

Meanwhile, back at the office social butterflies might be wasting time at work catching up with co-workers about their favorite reality show (hey, we’re supposed to stay bonded, right?)

The 10 most common daily non-work activities done on the clock, according to the work management software company Accelo:

1. Reading news websites

2. Checking social media

3. Discussing non-work-related things with co-workers

4. Searching for new jobs (HR should be very worried that this ranked so high)

5. Taking smoke breaks

6. Making calls to spouses, significant others or friends

7. Making hot drinks

8. Texting/instant messaging

9. Eating snacks, and

10. Preparing food in the office.

Bottom line for HR: Are these activities seriously impacting work getting done? What if someone’s wasting time at work on the slacker level of Peter Gibbons from the movie “Office Space”?

Metrics That Expose Wasting Time at Work

Good news: Research has shown that productivity is not directly proportional to hours worked. So instead of turning into the productivity police watching for employees wasting time at work, HR should be looking at things like:

• Meeting deadlines, key performance indicators and work quality standards
• Responsiveness and availability during core working hours, and
• Peer and/or manager feedback on the quality of work output and collaboration.

If employees are crushing it, then a little social media scrolling or a well-deserved snack break probably isn’t a big deal. But if deadlines are flying by and work isn’t meeting expectations, it’s time for a chat. Maybe someone’s feeling burned out or needs a different approach.

Monitoring Work Patterns

Now let’s talk tools that HR can use to gain insights into employee work patterns, such as:

• Time-tracking software to analyze productive vs. non-productive time
• VPN/login data to identify work and break periods, or
• Wearables (think Fitbit with superpowers) or apps that track focus times based on biometrics (if appropriate for your industry).

But remember, transparency is key! Let everyone know how this data is being used.

Clear Guidance and Open Communication

Clear communication is also a lifesaver. Setting expectations about personal time and acceptable breaks helps avoid confusion. Plus, open communication between managers and employees allows for catching any productivity issues early on.

So the next time you see someone with a suspiciously relaxed expression, take a deep breath. By focusing on results and open communication, you can create a happy, productive workplace, even if it involves the occasional cat video break.