Productivity has apparently been on the rise ever since employees were sent to work from their homes. But despite this, many things in the house are killing employees’ productivity, including technology, house members, and more.
According to a recent study that surveyed 670 of those who worked from home in 2021 around the world, many things are fighting for their attention at the same time during working hours. From video games, phone calls, social media, to Netflix, and children, employees working from home are doing so many things at once.
Mobile phones are the biggest distraction when WFHing
One of the results of the survey unsurprisingly shows that mobile phones are the biggest distraction for 56% of those who work from home. Apart from that, 44% of employees also report social media as the biggest distraction when working from home. For four in 10 employees (39%) house members present a distraction during working hours while working from home. Also, 27% mark pets as a distraction and 14% are distracted by incoming calls.
Most of the distractions employees have reported are of technological nature. Technology is the key factor allowing employees to work from home. However, at the same time, it presents many distractions while they are trying to get work done. While telecommuting, remote workers from home get the distracting phone and video calls, but other things in their homes also scream for their attention.
How the Internet distracts employees working from home
One in four of the survey participants says they spend under half an hour of their working hours on social media unrelated to work. Also, 30% of them spend between half an hour and a whole hour working from home. Finally, 28% of them admit they scroll through social media for over an hour unrelated to work during business hours.
Out of all the different social media platforms, 66% use Facebook the most, followed by Instagram (52%). The third on the list is Youtube (48%). Also, 24% use Twitter, 14% TikTok, and 12% Snapchat during working hours unrelated to work.
Besides social media, many other apps distract workers during their shifts from home. For example, one in two says they use instant messaging apps. From other apps, 41% reach for shopping apps, and 35% also use gaming apps during their shifts while working from home.
On-demand streaming services such as Netflix are also popular among those who work from home. Over half of them (55%) admit they watch Netflix when they should be working instead. One in three (34%) says they spend over an hour watching Netflix when they should be working.
Other distractions inside a home
Besides technology, employees’ private homes and lives also get in the way during business hours. For example, those who have children or pets also take care of them when they are supposed to be working. One in three (35%) of those who are dog owners walk their dog during office hours every day. Also, out of all parents who have small children, 31% take care of them while working from home every day.
Almost half of all survey respondents said that they take a shower or a bath during working hours when they are not supposed to. For 29%, it takes under half an hour to shower during business hours. Also, one in three (33%) takes a nap during work from home.
Another common distraction for employees working from home is cooking. Almost 70% of them cook during office hours when working from home. From them, 33% spend under half an hour preparing food. On the other hand, 29% spend more than 30 minutes but less than one hour preparing their food.
An even bigger percentage, i.e. 77% of employees working from home, do house chores when they are supposed to be working from home instead. Whether it is washing the dishes, tidying up or laundry, there is always something in the house distracting workers from their jobs.
Conclusion
It can be hard for employees to stay productive due to attention disruptions both in the office and at home. From technology distractions, people they live with, to everyday house chores in their homes, employees find it hard to stay focused on just one thing – that is work. While they can be more productive by feeling comfortable in their own homes, this is the same reason they are so easily distracted by their environment and private lives.
