Employees spend a considerable amount of time during the work day on personal leisure. This can take a few different forms but is most associated with on the job personal internet browsing. If companies knew exactly how much of a work day their employees spent on non-productive tasks they would start to question their employees work ethic. This isn't because most people have a poor work ethic, but rather because most human minds aren't meant to focus for an entire work day.
Time spent in nonproductive ways can account for hundreds of hours of time being paid with no benefit to the company. Similarly, employees gain little rejuvenating benefits from procrastination leisure time and creates an increased time constraint. That being said, not all leisure is unproductive. Researchers from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management have found that giving employees breaks beyond the minimum requirements can help the brain feel more rested and equipped to get back to work (Vogelsang, 2022). The study showed that when an employee is rewarded with leisure time for completing a task, they actually feel as though that time away from work rejuvenates their work capabilities. This approved leisure time also reduces nonproductive procrastination breaks and allows for more uninterrupted work time, enabling employees to work more efficiently knowing that their work will be rewarded with a much needed break.
While employees need some leisure time during work hours, they also need more uninterrupted time while working. On average, 53% of employees spend an hour a day just dealing with distractions (getclockwise.com). Distractions come in many forms and can originate on the employee’s side, with cellphones providing a never ending stream of distractions, or originate from the work environment. For the average employee, 41% of the work day is contributed towards low value tasks (HBR.org), in the form of coworkers or managers stopping by their desk, triaging incessant emails and messages, or prioritizing menial tasks during an already fully scheduled day. Having distractions from the workday can feel like a positive for an employee, giving a reprieve during their day. The biggest issue with most distractions is the randomness that they interject into a schedule. Breaking up your work day with unscheduled distractions causes rifts in concentration and decreases productivity. Allowing employees uninterrupted work hours throughout the day can alleviate these issues. This may look like allowing for non-immediate responses on emails or other communications, scheduling follow-ups to meetings that would otherwise run long, or allowing employees with the ability to close their door to do so.
Employee productive hours are one of the most tracked statistics for an employee's performance. While more productive hours can show true value in some employees, fewer productive hours doesn't necessarily mean others are slacking off. Offices, and the work day in general, are filled with distractions that can detract from concentration and productivity. These distractions aren't always an issue based on their content but more their randomness. Having scheduled time to give employees the ability to unwind can allow them to have better focus for larger portions of their day.
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