Posted on 08/09/2006 12:34:14 PM PDT by Cagey
There's a scene in the 1999 cult movie "Office Space" when unmotivated employee Peter Gibbons admits he generally comes in late, spaces out for about an hour, takes lunch and then spaces out for another hour.
"I'd say in a given week I probably only do about 15 minutes of real, actual work," he tells a pair of consultants.
Well, Peter, you're not alone.
A new survey by Salary.com and America Online found the average U.S. worker fritters away 1.86 hours per 8-hour workday -- not including lunch and scheduled breaks.
That's actually an improvement from last year's inaugural Salary.com/AOL survey, which showed workers squandered 2.09 hours a day.
Bill Coleman, Salary.com's senior vice president of compensation, said the results could reflect a slightly more energized work force due to an improving economy. Or maybe fewer hard-core slackers were polled this year.
H.R. budgets an hour a day
This year's biggest time-killer was personal use of the Internet. Of the 2,700 people quizzed in the unscientific survey, 52 percent said they wasted more time online than any other way. (The survey, by the way, was conducted online, and some responded: "I waste my time filling out surveys like this.")
Other top time-wasters included: socializing with co-workers, running errands and spacing out. "Staring blankly at the computer screen remains to be quite a popular choice," the study concluded.
In addition to polling workers, Salary.com surveyed human resource managers, who said companies assume workers waste nearly an hour each day. The difference between the slacking that companies budget for and the true amount costs U.S. companies a combined $544 billion per year, according to the survey.
Socializing not all bad
In the Loop on Tuesday, office workers had mixed feelings about the survey's results. Some believed the 1.86 number was a bit high. Others said it was on the mark.
Many gave guilty laughs. Few gave full names.
"Sometimes you need to walk away," said Jason, 27, who is in the hospitality business and admits to wasting about 45 minutes a day. "We're not machines or robots. And sometimes what the Cubs are doing is a hell of a lot more important than what I'm doing."
The survey intentionally did not define "wasted time," figuring people know it when they see it -- or do it.
There are gray areas, though, such as building relationships with co-workers.
"Talking about what happened last night on 'American Idol,' although it's not likely to help your job directly, if that's some sort of relationship you build with co-workers, and it's important to have good relations, there is some value to that," Coleman said.
Ummmm, yeaaaaahhhhh, I'm going to need you to ...
I waste much more than 1.86 hours a day. Why, lunch today took 2.50 hours...
They haven't seen some of my co-workers.. for them it's more like they work 1.86 hours and goof off the rest.
Pikers - I can waste 1.86 hours before lunch!
1.86 hours?
Is that all?
I knew this thread would have plentiful Office Space references!
Is Freeping considered wasted time or productive time according to this poll?
Goldbricking on the job is the price we Americans pay for our astounding creativity. Our family owns a small busines, and we don't care how much our employees goof off at work. In our office, the stated policy is "We don't care how much you eff off during the day as long as the work gets done on time." It always gets done on time. A laid-back workplace works for us -- our billing has never been higher, and no one has quit his or her job in five years. Nose-to-the-grindstone offices produce more turnover and employee theft than any other product.
If I waste time, it almost always results in unpaid overtime that I need to pull.
Hey what about all the bloat from diversity projects. Why do work when you can piss and moan about the lack of diversity at your own employer... Also, is HR even considered work?
I don't make personal phone calls.
Not true:
"Staring blankly at the computer screen remains to be quite a popular choice," the study concluded.
My wasted work time is Jim Robinson's fault.
Great, I like your style. No TPS Reports at Chan Industries.
I can waste 1.86 hours per hour!
When managers have weekly meetings it's go time for surfing the net. The other ones I don't do often enough or at all during a work day to make it matter.
"Some people I work with average 1.86 hours of WORK per
day."
Same thing happens in my office. Only problem here is they are the ones who get the raises and promotions.
Below is a link to Youtube with a hilarious version from Office Space portrayed by the Superfriends.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=n0WAYmVcqys&search=office%20space
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