What do remote and hybrid workers do all day?
They often brag about how productive they are without being interrupted by gossipy coworkers or wasting time on long commutes.
But new research offers new insights into how remote workers are actually spending their time. Spoiler alert: it’s not all white papers and PowerPoint presentations.
While office-based employees might kill time by messaging friends or binge watching TikTok, remote workers are using their free time away from their boss’s watchful eye to tick off personal to-do lists or just hang out.
According to a SurveyMonkey survey of 3,117 full-time U.S. workers, nearly half of remote workers multitask while on a work call or doing household chores like unloading the dishwasher or doing laundry.
A third are using the flexibility of remote work to run errands, like trips to the grocery store or picking up their dry cleaning.
Sleeping on the job? It’s more common than you might think: 1 in 5 remote workers admit to taking a nap at some point.
About 17% of remote workers said they work in another location, watch TV, or play video games without telling anyone, and a small minority (4%) admitted to having a second job.
Multitasking during Zoom calls is also a common pastime.
Nearly a third of remote and hybrid workers said they used the bathroom during a call, 21% browsed social media, 14% shopped online, 12% did laundry, and 9% cleaned the kitchen.
In what may come as a shock to some, 4% of people admit to falling asleep and 3% admit to taking a shower.
“Employees are making up their own rules to meet the demands of a high-pressure work environment,” says Wendy Smith, senior manager of research science at SurveyMonkey. “One thing we’ve found is that so-called ‘off the books’ behavior is widespread.”
This isn’t just an issue for rank-and-file employees: More than half of managers and 49% of executives also multitask while on a work call, Smith said.
When asked, “Have you ever looked at social media during a video call or conference call at work?” managers, executives and individual contributors without supervisory responsibilities were roughly equal in number (22%, 20% and 21%), she said.
However, Smith said managers and executives shop online more frequently than individual contributors (16% and 14%, respectively, compared with 12%).
Work habits also differ across generations.
26% of Millennials admit to having taken a nap during work hours, compared to 16% of Gen X. 18% of Gen Z have a second job, compared to 2% of Gen X and 1% of Baby Boomers. 31% of Gen Z work somewhere else without telling anyone, compared to 16% of Gen X.
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