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July 26, 2013

Employees spend an hour a day on personal admin

The typical worker spends an hour a day carrying out non work-related tasks at their desk, according to new research.

The study of 2,000 workers, commissioned by Quidco, found that an average of seven personal tasks are carried out during work hours every day – a total of 35 each week.

Researchers found that workers typically devote 88% of each day to work, and spend the remaining time managing their personal admin including online banking, replying to personal emails, searching for holidays and shopping on the internet.

Other activities include checking the weather forecast, reading news and checking social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Online shopping and banking during work hours will see workers spend an average of £41.01 from their desks each week – a total of £3,813.93 every year.

Online banking is the most common personal task Brits carry out at work, with more than a third admitting they regularly check their bank account from their desk. Almost one in four has also spent work hours researching holidays and shopping around for the best deal.

Other personal tasks regularly carried out during work hours include searching for discount codes and vouchers, buying and selling on sites such as eBay and comparing insurance prices.

But while 38% of workers said they tend to do their own personal jobs during a quiet spell at work, a quarter say it is usually something that can only be done between 9am and 5pm.

However, three in ten workers admitted they've had days where they have spent more time on their own errands than they have on their work-related jobs.

The top five non-work activities conducted in the office are:

  • online banking;
  • checking the weather;
  • replying to personal emails;
  • reading news sites;
  • researching holidays and searching for­ the best deals.

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