Why smartphones are turning us into slackers

SMARTPHONES are to blame for Britain’s sluggish productivity because workers are spending more time checking their devices than getting down to work, according to a Bank of England expert.

Britain’s poor productivity rate was revealed in the dismal forecasts for economic growth outlined in last week’s Budget by Chancellor Philip Hammond.

In an in-house blog for Bank staff, senior analyst Dan Nixon said a “crisis of attention” caused by “cyber-slacking” might lie behind disappointing output.

He also noted that some apps are so compelling they can “hijack the mind”. Mr Nixon said: “Distracted moments can lead to distracted days...if you keep getting distracted by external stimuli, your mind is more likely to wander.”

He drew his conclusions after measuring shrinking productivity growth in a number of western economies against the tenfold increase in smartphone ownership over the past 10 years.

Hourly productivity has flatlined since the 2008 financial crisis, with the UK trailing the US and Germany. Over the same period the popularity of devices such as phones and tablets has soared.

Studies suggest that it takes an average of 25 minutes for workers to refocus on their job after time spent checking social media accounts.

Research has also found people are likely to hit shopping sites during working hours rather than in their own time, especially between 2pm and 6pm.

Previously the productivity gap between the UK and its rivals has been blamed on factors including mediocre management, a shortage of skilled workers and underinvestment in technology.