How much time do American workers waste each day at work?

Americans waste an average of 2.9 hours each day at work. This time is often spent doing non-work activities such as surfing the <a href="https://wordpress-1250819-5972544.cloudwaysapps.com/how-many-people-use-the-internet/">internet</a>, checking social media, and texting.However, this time also includes activities that are synonymous with and necessary for working in an office, such as bathroom and coffee breaks, socializing with coworkers, and managing the distracting noises and activities that come from working in the same vicinity as other people.Other time-wasters include reading and <a href="https://wordpress-1250819-5972544.cloudwaysapps.com/how-to-respond-to-a-rejection-letter/">responding to emails</a> (the average employee receives 304 work-related emails a week) and sitting in meetings (employees spend an average of 21.5 hours a week in meetings).All of these distractions and time-wasters cost American companies an average of $1.7 million a year for every 100 employees they have, thanks to decreases in productivity while salaries stay the same.

How much time at work is actually spent working?

Less than 60% of the time at work is actually spent working. Depending on the employee, though, much of this other 40% of the time is often still spent on work-related tasks that aren't furthering their productivity.Work emails, for example, take up about three and a half hours of the average employee's workday, and many of these are either spam or so poorly written that it takes more effort to decipher them than it should.Meetings also eat up a significant amount of time (about 21.5 hours a week), many of which are unnecessary as well. In addition, workplace <a href="https://wordpress-1250819-5972544.cloudwaysapps.com/avoid-distractions-work/">distractions</a> play a big role in decreasing productivity, as the average employee is interrupted 56 times a day while they're at work.That's not to say that all time not spent working is due to work-related distractions, though, as 47% of employees say they surf the internet at work, 45% say they check social media, and 44% say they text with their personal phones while at work.

What are the biggest time-wasters at work?

The biggest time-wasters at work are unnecessary meetings, emails, and surfing the internet or on social media.47% of employees say that meetings are the biggest time-wasters at work, which isn't an unreasonable opinion since the average employee attends 62 meetings a month, and about half of those are considered wastes of time.Emails aren't far behind as far as time-wasting activities go since the average employee receives 304 business emails a week, many of which are unnecessary, spam, or create more confusion than they resolve.Despite these legitimate work-related activities being significant time-wasters, many employees' wasted work hours still go to surfing the internet or checking <a href="https://wordpress-1250819-5972544.cloudwaysapps.com/social-media-statistics/">social media</a>: 47% of employees admit that surfing the internet at work is a distraction they participate in, and 45% say the same of social media.

Why do employees waste time at work?

Employees waste time at work because they believe taking short breaks will increase their productivity or because they're bored with their work.53% of employees say that they do non-work-related activities at work as a way of taking a short break. These breaks then allow them to be more focused when they are working, improving their productivity overall.However, 20% of workers say that they waste time at work because they're bored or uninterested in their jobs. If someone isn't invested in the work they're supposed to be doing, it's going to be difficult for them to resist the urge to waste time - just watch a few episodes of The Office to see this in action.Smaller percentages of employees say that they waste time at work because of a lack of incentives (8%), because they're unsatisfied with their jobs (7%), and because they feel they don't get paid enough (2%).

What percentage of employees waste time at work?

89% of employees waste time at work. These employees say they waste 30 minutes or more of every workday doing non-work-related activities.31% admit to wasting at least one hour a day, and 16% say they waste about two hours of every workday. These are the most common lengths of time that employees said they waste during each workday, but 6% of employees say they waste three or more hours of time on the clock every day, and 4% say they waste at least four hours.However, it's safe to say that all employees spend some amount of the workday being unproductive. The average employee is interrupted 56 times a day at work, and each one spends an average of two hours a day getting back on track from these interruptions.

How do you stop employees from wasting time at work?

You can stop employees from wasting time at work by rewarding productivity, setting clear goals and deadlines, and creating distraction-free work environments.Many <a href="https://wordpress-1250819-5972544.cloudwaysapps.com/interview-questions-for-managers/">managers</a> may initially think that tracking employees' time or internet usage is the best way to stop them from wasting time, but that's not always a good idea. Employees who feel they are being micromanaged aren't going to perform any better, and you still haven't solved the root problem that's causing them to waste time.Instead, start by rewarding productivity. It doesn't have to be much, but recognizing employees for being productive with an incentive that they actually want can go a long way toward minimizing wasted time.Setting clear goals and deadlines can also help. If your employees don't know what they need to be doing or feel that they have all the time in the world to meet their next deadline that's a month away, they're going to be bored and more likely to waste time.Instead, set monthly, weekly, and even daily goals for them to hit so that they know what they need to be working on and feel that they have enough to do. Project management software is a great way to do this since you can often break larger projects up into tasks with individual due dates.Finally, you may be able to reduce time-wasting by providing spaces for your employees to work distraction-free. This might be allowing them to work from home or in another out-of-office environment, or it may be designating a workspace that will have no phones, emails, or casual passers-by to interrupt.This can be highly effective because it not only cuts down on distractions but it also, by extension, cuts down the amount of time it takes to recover from those distractions. It can take about 20 minutes to refocus on something after getting distracted from it, which adds up quickly the more interruptions there are.Having a place to work undisturbed makes it easier for workers to stay in their workflow instead of being derailed for 30 minutes every time someone walks by their desk.

25+ Wasting Time At Work Statistics [2026]: How Much Time Is Wasted At Work

Workplace Statistics

Research Summary. The issue of time wastage in the workplace continues to be a concern for organizations in 2026. With the evolution of work environments and practices, understanding how employees spend their time is essential. Here are the latest statistics regarding time waste at work.

89% of workers acknowledge that they waste time daily at work.
31% of workers report wasting at least one hour each day.
On average, U.S. employees dedicate 2.9 hours per 8-hour workday to non-work-related activities.
Employees spend an average of 21.5 hours in meetings weekly, attending around 62 meetings monthly.
64% of employees admit to browsing non-work-related websites during work hours.

For a detailed breakdown, we organized the data into the following categories:
Meetings | Employee Reports | Distractions | Work-Related Tasks
U.S. workers spend an average of 2.9 hours per 8-hour workday doing non-work-related activities

Wasting Time At Work Statistics by Wasted Time at Meetings

47% of employees view meetings as the biggest time-waster at work.

Despite their burden, 73% of employees attempt to multitask during meetings, yet 45% feel overwhelmed by the number of meetings they must attend.
U.S. companies waste approximately $37 billion annually on unnecessary meetings.

This figure accounts solely for salaries paid to employees during these meetings, excluding costs for refreshments and meeting spaces.
On average, employees spend 21.5 hours each week in meetings.

For those in high-demand roles, this can rise to nearly 33 hours weekly, significantly encroaching on their 40-hour workweek, often extending to 45-50 hours.
Employees attend around 62 meetings monthly.

Assuming these meetings last about an hour, if half are deemed unproductive, that results in 31 hours of wasted time monthly.

Wasting Time At Work Statistics by Employee Reports

89% of employees report wasting at least thirty minutes daily at work.
16% of employees estimate wasting approximately two hours each day.
6% of employees claim to waste around three hours daily.
4% of employees admit to wasting four or more hours each day on average.
53% of employees engage in non-work-related activities as brief breaks to enhance productivity.
20% of employees cite boredom or lack of interest in their jobs as reasons for wasting time.
Employees report that 80% of their workplace interruptions are trivial.
Less than 60% of the workday is often spent on productive tasks.

Wasting Time At Work Statistics by the Biggest Distractions

Employees experience an average of 56 interruptions daily.

This does not account for the time needed to refocus after each interruption, with employees spending an additional two hours daily on this process.
Employees receive an average of 304 business emails weekly.

Many of these emails are unnecessary, spam, or poorly composed, resulting in significant time and productivity losses as employees try to decipher them.

Spam emails alone cost organizations approximately $1250 per employee in lost productivity, while unnecessary emails can cost around $1800 and poorly written communications between $2100 to $4100 per employee.
Employees check their emails 36 times an hour on average.

This not only consumes time but also requires around 16 minutes to regain focus after responding to each email. Studies show that handling a constant flow of emails can reduce cognitive performance equivalently to losing a full night of sleep.

Common workplace distractions include internet browsing and social media use.

The following table highlights the top ten distractions employees face and the percentage of individuals admitting to these distractions during work hours:

Distracting Activity	Percentage of Employees Who Participate
Surf the internet	47%
Social media	45%
Texting	44%
Bathroom breaks	39%
Socializing with coworkers	27%
Snack breaks	25%
Office noise	25%
Coffee breaks	19%
Reading/drawing	16%
Household activities	14%

Wasting Time At Work Statistics by Wasteful Work-Related Tasks

Employees waste an average of more than 21 days annually on menial or repetitive tasks.

These tasks could often be automated, potentially saving companies substantial amounts of money.
On average, office workers spend approximately three and a half hours daily managing their work emails.

This does not include personal email management, which can consume an additional two hours and 23 minutes daily, totaling about six hours spent on email each day.
U.S. companies lose around $1.7 million annually for every 100 employees due to wasted time.

This equates to a loss of approximately $5.1 million for a company with 300 employees, stemming from wasted time on personal matters, excessive meetings, or ineffective email communication.

Wasting Time At Work Statistics FAQ

How much time do American workers waste each day at work?

Americans waste an average of 2.9 hours each day at work. This time is often spent on non-work activities such as browsing the internet, checking social media, and texting.

This time also includes necessary office activities like bathroom and coffee breaks, socializing, and managing the various distractions of a shared workspace.

Other significant time-wasters consist of reading and responding to emails (with the average employee receiving 304 work-related emails weekly) and attending meetings (with an average of 21.5 hours spent weekly in meetings).

All these distractions and time-wasters cost American companies around $1.7 million annually for every 100 employees due to decreased productivity.
How much time at work is actually spent working?

Less than 60% of the time at work is genuinely productive. The remaining 40% often consists of work-related tasks that do not contribute to productivity.

For instance, managing work emails consumes around three and a half hours daily, with many emails being spam or poorly written, complicating matters further.

Meetings also take up considerable time (averaging 21.5 hours weekly), many of which are unnecessary. Additionally, workplace distractions significantly affect productivity, with employees experiencing an average of 56 interruptions daily.

This does not include time spent on internet browsing, social media use (with 47% of employees admitting to surfing the internet and 45% checking social media at work), and personal texting (44%).
What are the biggest time-wasters at work?

The primary time-wasters at work include unnecessary meetings, excessive emails, and internet browsing or social media usage.

47% of employees identify meetings as the biggest time-wasters, corroborated by the fact that they attend an average of 62 meetings monthly, with about half deemed unproductive.

Emails rank closely in terms of time wastage, with employees receiving an average of 304 emails weekly, many of which are unnecessary or confusing.

Moreover, significant time is also lost to surfing the internet and social media, with 47% of employees engaging in internet browsing and 45% using social media during work hours.
Why do employees waste time at work?

Employees often waste time at work believing that short breaks can boost their productivity or because they lack engagement in their roles.

53% of employees partake in non-work-related activities as short breaks to enhance focus and overall productivity.

Conversely, 20% of workers admit to wasting time due to boredom or disinterest in their jobs. If employees are not invested in their work, they’re more likely to engage in time-wasting behaviors.

Smaller percentages of employees cite lack of incentives (8%), job dissatisfaction (7%), and feeling undercompensated (2%) as reasons for wasting time.
What percentage of employees waste time at work?

89% of employees admit to wasting time at work. Most report wasting at least 30 minutes daily, with 31% acknowledging at least one hour lost, while 16% claim to waste about two hours.

Some employees (6%) report wasting three or more hours daily, and 4% state they waste at least four hours. It’s evident that nearly all employees experience some level of unproductivity during the workday, with an average of 56 interruptions per day leading to an additional two hours spent regaining focus.
How do you stop employees from wasting time at work?

To minimize wasted time, focus on rewarding productivity, establishing clear goals, and creating distraction-free work environments.

While tracking employees’ time or internet usage might seem effective, it can lead to micromanagement, which typically hampers performance and does not address the underlying issues causing time waste.

Instead, incentivize productivity. Acknowledging employees for their accomplishments with meaningful rewards can significantly reduce wasted time.

Setting clear, attainable goals and deadlines is also crucial. Employees who lack direction or feel overly relaxed about deadlines may resort to time-wasting behaviors.

Offer monthly, weekly, and daily targets to guide their work and maintain engagement. Project management software can help break larger projects into manageable tasks with specific due dates.

Lastly, providing spaces for distraction-free work can be highly beneficial. Allowing remote work options or designating quiet work areas can help reduce interruptions, enabling employees to remain focused and productive.

Having a dedicated workspace decreases distractions and the time needed to refocus, which can take around 20 minutes after interruptions, leading to significant time losses over the day.

Conclusion

Finding an employee who is consistently productive throughout their entire workday is a tall order. In fact, 89% of employees report wasting at least 30 minutes daily, with 4% stating they regularly waste four hours or more.

While many employees waste time through activities like scrolling social media or browsing the internet, significant time is also lost in work-related tasks.

For instance, 47% of employees identify meetings as the primary time-waster, with the average employee spending 21.5 hours weekly in meetings—half of which are perceived as unproductive. As a result, U.S. businesses incur an annual loss of $37 billion due to unnecessary meetings.

References

Business Chief. “How Much Time (and Money) Are We Wasting at Work?” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
Salary.com. “2014 Wasting Time at Work Survey.” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
Atlassian. “You Waste a Lot of Time at Work.” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
Reclaim.ai. “Productivity Trends Report: One-on-One Meeting Statistics.” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
Zippia. “Here’s How Many Hours Workers Are Actually Productive (And What They’re Doing Instead).” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
CIO Insight. “How Repetitive Tasks Waste $1.8 Trillion.” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
CNBC. “Here’s How Many Hours American Workers Spend on Email Each Day.” Accessed on May 4, 2022.
Titan Technologies. “What is the True Cost of Wasted Time?” Accessed on May 4, 2022.

Author

Abby McCain

Abby is a writer who is passionate about the power of story. Whether it’s communicating complicated topics in a clear way or helping readers connect with another person or place from the comfort of their couch. Abby attended Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she earned a degree in writing with concentrations in journalism and business.

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