Survey claims to show utility company staff are bigger time wasters
16 Apr 2019
Energy and utility company workers spend almost half an average working day procrastinating and wasting time, claims a new survey.
Marketing research company OnePoll studied 2,000 British employed adults in February to create its own ‘procrastination calendar’, asking subjects how long they spent on a list of 15 non-work activities.
It revealed that those respondents in the energy sector clocked up an average of three and a half hours on 'delaying' activities.
Top of the list of causes are:
- 17 minutes on toilet breaks
- 16 minutes on extended breaks or lunchtimes
- 15 minutes clock watching
- 14 minutes rearranging their desks
- 14 minutes on tea and coffee breaks
- 12 minutes making personal calls
With a mean average salary in excess of £41,000, this is the equivalent of more than £19,000-worth of salary every year, claim the report authors.
Said a spokesperson: “While the UK’s 33 million workers on average waste almost three hours, costing the economy £1.3 billion a day, those working in energy and utilities are much more distracted.
“The 215 minutes that they typically spend on things like cigarette breaks, online shopping and snacking would add up to enough time to complete 278 half-day courses a year, or to get a train between Edinburgh and London 201 times.”
Consolation is at hand for unfairly maligned employees, however: Of the 28 work fields that produced responses, four – the environmental industry, performing arts, marketing and business management – performed more badly.
And, of course, it may be that, with their high degree of numeracy and technical ability, energy workers are not only more accurate at self-assessment but also more productive when they are working…
Take the procrastination calendar test here.
