Slackers reveal favourite ways to shirk at work
EMPLOYEES spend more than four hours a week secretly slacking off work, a study reveals.
Surfing the internet is the most common way workers take time out, with slackers also known to book meeting rooms for a gossip and take compassionate leave for fictional funerals.
Booking out the boardroom for a power nap, doodling under the pretence of serious note-taking and creating fake meetings off-site are other ways Britons avoid their workload.
The survey of 2,000 employees found the average worker slacks off for up to 50 minutes a day, usually to carry out personal tasks.
Checking personal emails, sending social media messages and shopping online all featured prominently in the findings. Some employees even admitted to disappearing for a walk.
Geoffrey Dennis, of “working animal” charity Spana, which conducted the poll, said: “Returning to work after the holiday season can come as a shock to the system. No doubt some will be easing themselves back in slowly.
“Many people in this country undoubtedly work very hard, but it’s clear from these findings that office workers are finding creative ways of putting their feet up for a break.”
The study found that almost half of workers slack off to get personal tasks completed without anyone knowing. It also found that 34 per cent of workers are bored by their current role. Meanwhile, a fifth revealed they lack energy after a busy morning and are therefore most likely to slack off in the afternoon.
Four in 10 often duck responsibilities because they consider their job is “easy”. A further 41 per cent grumbled they used to be a model employee, but boredom or resentment has turned them into a slacker.
And a quarter admitted their tendency to slack off is holding them back from progressing in their career.
However, one in 10 workers does not appear to have disguised their skiving well enough. This unlucky group have been disciplined with either a written reprimand, a “performance improvement plan” or have simply been shouted at in front of colleagues.