Employee productivity and workplace distraction trends for American workers

American workers are known for and largely believe they are very hard workers. That is true for many people, however many Americans find themselves taking more unplanned breaks each day at work.

Solitaired recently surveyed over 1,200 American workers to try to learn more about employee productivity and the most common workplace distractions. We all intend to work hard each day, but there are more distractions in the workplace than ever including numerous digital distractions that eat up large chunks of the workday for many American workers. Lets us take a look at the survey findings to learn more about how much break time American workers are using each day and how it aligns with what their employers expect from them.

How much break time do you take each day?

The survey began by asking American workers to estimate how much break time they take each day and then the surveyed respondents were given list of common tasks and distractions and asked to estimate how much time they spend doing them each day. As it turns out, the average American worker estimates that they take 43 minutes of break time per day on average. In reality, the average American workers is taking nearly 3 hours of unplanned break time per day (2.7 hours on average). The difference between the estimate and the actual time is stunning.

On top of that the survey found that 89% of workers think they take 60 minutes or less of breaks. In reality, only 9% of American workers take less than 60 minutes or less of breaks at work each day. The survey found that 86% of American workers spend 90 minutes or more taking breaks each day at work. On top of that, 80% of American workers spend two hours or more taking breaks each day.

Listed below is the full breakdown of estimated vs actual breaktime each day:

Estimated

0-15 minutes (15%)
16-30 minutes (37%)
31-45 minutes (17%)
46-30 minutes (22%)
61-90 minutes (8%)
91-120 minutes (4%)
2-3 hours (2%)

Actual

16-30 minutes (2%)
31-45 minutes (5%)
46-60 minutes (6%)
61-90 minutes (11%)
91-120 minutes (14%)
2-3 hours (27%)
3-4 hours (20%)
4-5 hours (13%)
5+ hours (8%)

As you can see from the full breakdown there is once again a stark contrast between how much time American workers believe that they take each day on breaks vs how much time they actually spend. Most employers would probably be shocked to see these results.

The next part of the survey asked American workers how much time your employer expects you to take each day. Listed below is the full breakdown:

My Employer expects me to take 16-39 minutes of break time each day (42% of American workers)
My employer expects me to take 46-60 minutes of break time each day (26% of American workers)
My employer expects me to take 31-45 minutes of break time each day (15%of American workers)
My employer expects me to take 0-15 minutes of break time each day (10% of American workers)
My employer expects me to take 61+ minutes of break time each day (6% of American workers)

The survey found that the average American employer expects the average American worker to take 43 minutes of break time each day. In reality, American workers are on break five times longer than their employers expect. Another fact that most employers would probably be shocked to hear.

The survey found that the average American worker spends around a half an hour each day consuming various forms of entertainment at work. Listed below is the types of break time American workers are taking and how much time they are spending on average each day.

Top types of break time for American workers

1. I use my break time to take care of biological needs (36 minutes daily average)

2. I use my break time to consume entertainment (25 minutes daily average)

3. I use my break time to think about things (22 minutes daily average)

4. I use my break time communicating with friends, family, or my partner (18 minutes daily average)

5. I use my break time communicating with colleagues or coworkers (17 minutes daily average)

6. I use my break time caring for my pets and or kids (17 minutes daily average)

7. I use my break time doing digital chores or errands (16 minutes daily average)

8. I use my break time doing in-person chores or errands (15 minutes daily average)

The top apps people use most during work hours

Phone apps and digital distractions are one of the biggest time wasters for American workers. The survey asked American workers about the top apps they use most during work hours. Listed below is the full list of apps that people use most during work hours and what percentage of people use it daily:

1. Texting/messaging (62% of American workers use it daily)

2. Personal email (53% of American workers use it daily)

3. Banking apps (44% of American workers use it daily)

4. Instagram (41% of American workers use it daily)

5. YouTube (37% of American workers use it daily)

6. Facebook (36% of American workers use it daily)

7. Amazon (34% of American workers use it daily)

8. Payment apps like Venmo and PayPal (28% of American workers use it daily)

9. Investment apps like Robinhood (27% of American workers use it daily)

10. Photos (25% of Americans browse photos at work each day)

When asked how much break time should be excused by employers each day, American workers say 25 minutes of talking to each other, unrelated to work, should be excused by their employer each day. 78% of remote workers report that they do more multitasking at home than they did while working at the office. 88% of workers multitask each and every day. 59% of remote workers take longer to get work done at home than at the office. Americans on average spend 3.4 hours multitasking each day.

Infographic by: solitaired

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