A survey from the folks at Jive Software (News - Alert), Inc. tells us that a lot of us are spending our free time on our jobs. The survey found that, when not at work, 90 percent of U.S. respondents spend non-working time doing just that – work.
The same percentage applies to Australia, while 88 percent of employees in Great Britain do the same. Of those surveyed, 37 percent of American employees reported they work more than 10 hours per week during their off time.
These employees are using their personal devices to conduct business, the survey shows, which may very well be the offender when it comes to blending personal with business time.
The numbers are as follows:
- 91 percent of employed adults in the U.S., Great Britain and Australia report working during personal time
- 27 percent of Australians and 18 percent of Brits also report working more than 10 hours per week during their personal time
- 11 percent of employees in the U.S., Great Britain and Australia are working an extra 7-10 hours per week during their "off" time – the equivalent of a full work day
The time spent working during personal time has affected personal relationships and health, so much that 43 percent of American, Australian and British workers reported they would spend more time exercising if they had 10 more hours in any given week.
"Employees around the globe are spending far too much time on unproductive work: sitting through unnecessary meetings, wading through endless e-mail, and constantly searching for long-lost documents—leading to more people doing their actual jobs on off hours," said Nathan Rawlins, vice president of product marketing at Jive in a statement. "Fortunately, with social collaboration, businesses can transform the way people work, ensuring employees can be more productive at the office, while giving them time back for a balanced life. The result: more productive, happier employees."
The survey highlights a common issue in a tech-heavy era. People are finding it difficult to strike a work/life balance with such easy access to information and work-related tasks.
The Mayo Clinic suggests that, to find a better work/life balance, to consider the benefits of keeping work and personal time separate. Should work cross paths with personal time, it suggests tracking your time, learn to say no and manage time through a series of to-do lists and tasks.
Edited by Alisen Downey
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