Strategy

13 Things Everyone Does At Work That They Don't Want Bosses To Know About

By Alyson Shontell
Read in app
porn work computer
YouTube

It's hard to put in 8+ hours each day of straight work.  People break up it up by talking to coworkers, checking Facebook, taking long lunches, and instant messaging friends.

We scoured the web for the biggest work time-wasters and employee fibs.

Some activities are pretty normal, like frequently checking email.  Others, like watching and downloading porn, happen so frequently it's shocking.

73% say they waste time at work -- at least one hour per day.

work bored procrastinate banana art
lu_lu via Flickr

Source: Salary.com 2008 survey

They waste time by surfing the web (48%), talking with coworkers (33%), taking care of personal agendas and calls (49%), and taking long lunches (15%)

gossiping
kalavinkaviaFlickr

Source: Salary.com 2008 survey

But a lot of time is also wasted on menial work tasks, like fixing coworkers' mistakes (54%), dealing with office politics (47%), waiting on colleagues (42%), getting dragged to meetings (42%), and doing administrative work (33%)

leader young meeting
KINO ARCADES via Flickr

Source: Salary.com 2008 survey and Fonality 2011 survey via Inc.com

Checking email wastes 50% of the work day

check email computer
rogue2408 via Flickr

Source: Fonality 2011 survey via Inc.com

Employees do their hardest work between 9 AM and 12 PM. After that, it's all down hill.

productivity work day chart
Results of Get More Done's study of employee productivity and 50+ hour work weeks Get More Done

Source: Get More Done 2011 Research

They're in the bathroom checking Facebook: 54% of women and 46% of men do this. 77% of employees who have access to Facebook from work check it daily.

Facebook bathroom toilet obsessed computer
Jongus via Flickr

Source: AIS Media via Advertising Age and 24/7 Wallstreet

Weirdly, a lot of people watch porn at work. A Nielsen study found 27% watch adult content in the office, and that most porn is downloaded during work hours (9-5).

porn work computer
YouTube

Source: 24/7 Wallstreet

When people aren't at their desks, there's a good chance they're getting more coffee. The average worker drinks 3 cups per day.

BP Office Coffee

Source: KPVI Channel 6 News

One in three people come to work with hangovers. 15% say they've been drunk at work too.

hangover lazy worker
JohnDunne via Flickr

Source: 2008 Norwich Union Healthcare survey

Most people abuse sick days. One firm found 57 percent of U.S. employees call in sick when they're really not.

cold flu sick tissue
The Italian Voice via Flickr

Source: Businessweek

More than 50% of people lie on their resumes

liar
yungcoopviaFlickr

Source: Steven Levitt, coauthor of Freakonomics via Monster.com

When young employees stay late, it's usually because coworkers expect them to, not because they're still doing work.

lazy sleep work bored
Peter Baer via Flickr

Source: NPR interview with Peter Cappelli, a UPenn Wharton management professor

People shop a lot at their desks. More than 14 work hours are spent shopping online during holidays.

online shopping
By mcmorgan08 on flickr

Source: 24/7 Wallstreet

For more surprising work statistics, check out:

Career builder ad don't jump miserable upset
Creative Criminals

15 Seriously Disturbing Facts About Your Job >>

Read next

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

极速168赛车官方网站图片

Business Insider tells the innovative stories you want to know

Alyson Shontell Business Insider
Alyson Shontell
Alyson is the Editor-in-Chief and CCO at Fortune.  She was previously a co Editor-in-Chief overseeing Business Insider's tech and business coverage.She joined Business Insider in July 2008 as the company's sixth employee. She started as a sales planner before joining the editorial team in 2010, where she became a startup reporter and was first to cover some of today's largest tech companies, including Pinterest, Tinder, Instagram, Uber and Snap. Alyson rose to become a senior correspondent, then Executive Editor.She was appointed Editor-in-Chief of Business Insider in 2016, at which point she became the youngest and only woman to run a global business publication. Under her leadership, the business division has grown to hundreds of  millions of monthly readers.Alyson was a host of  Insider's conferences and launched a podcast, "Success! How I Did It," where she interviewed influencers ranging from Sheryl Sandberg to Steve Ballmer about their career paths (subscribe on iTunes here).She has appeared on ABC, Good Morning America, Al Jazeera, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN, and CBC, and she has interviewed media personalities such as Megyn Kelly, technology leaders like Fred Wilson, political leaders like John Brennan, and sports star LeBron James. She is a judge for the prestigious Gerald Loeb Awards in business journalism, and has been named one of Min's Rising Stars in Media, as well as Folio's 2017 Top Women in Media.She graduated from Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications, where she majored in psychology and advertising.You can read some of her investigative articles here:— Leaked videos reveal the true founding story of Snapchat— The founder who dumped Jared Kushner: Inside the phone call that left the White House star in a fit of rage— The downfall of billion-dollar startup, Fab— How a startup that raised the largest seed round in Silicon Valley history blew itself up before it even launched— The dark side of Facebook, where people lie, cheat, and make millions— A profile of Uber's controversial CEO, Travis Kalanick— The mystery of Jody Sherman, a founder who was driven to suicide and left behind a shocking business disasterDisclosure: Alyson owns bitcoin and Snap. She is also an investor in The Spun, a sports-media startup founded by her husband.
HOME Subscribe Read in app