Are remote workers truly busy all day? Here’s what they’re doing instead.

What do remote and hybrid workers actually do all day? They often tout their productivity, claiming that the absence of gossipy coworkers and lengthy commutes helps them stay focused. However, a new survey reveals a different picture of how these workers truly spend their time—hint: it’s not all about white papers and PowerPoint slides.

While in-office employees might waste time chatting with friends or scrolling through TikTok, remote workers often take advantage of their flexibility to tackle personal tasks or even slack off. According to a SurveyMonkey poll of 3,117 full-time U.S. workers, nearly half of remote employees admit to multitasking during work calls, with some completing household chores like unloading the dishwasher or doing laundry.

About one-third of remote workers use their schedule flexibility to run errands, such as grocery shopping or picking up dry cleaning. Surprisingly, one in five admitted to taking naps during work hours.

Additionally, 17% of remote workers reported working from other locations without notifying anyone, while some watched TV or played video games. A small fraction, around 4%, confessed to holding another job.

Multitasking during Zoom calls is common, too. Nearly a third of remote and hybrid workers said they used the bathroom during calls, 21% browsed social media, 14% shopped online, 12% did laundry, and 9% cleaned their kitchens. In a surprising twist, 4% admitted to falling asleep, and 3% took showers during calls.

Wendy Smith, senior manager of research science at SurveyMonkey, noted that employees are crafting their own rules to manage the pressures of their work environments. “What might be considered ‘off-the-books behavior’ is quite widespread,” she explained.

Interestingly, it’s not just lower-level employees engaging in these activities. More than half of managers and 49% of executives also multitask during calls. When asked if they’ve ever browsed social media during a work video call, responses were similar across roles: 22% of managers, 20% of executives, and 21% of individual contributors admitted to it. However, managers and executives tended to shop online more frequently than their individual contributor counterparts, with 16% and 14% compared to 12%.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *