Are remote workers really working all day? Here's what they're doing instead
eu.usatoday.com
Remote workers often brag about how productive they are at home, but a new survey sheds light on what they're really doing all day.

My favorite quote:

While employees in the office might kill time messaging friends or flipping through TikTok, remote workers take advantage of being far from the watchful gaze of bosses to chip away at personal to-do lists or to goof off.

Nearly half of remote workers multitask on work calls or complete household chores like unloading the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry, according to the SurveyMonkey poll of 3,117 full-time workers in the U.S.

Oh noes, people actually doing things that are useful for their families instead of even more computer time.

It’s insane that this is even considered strange or surprising. When I work from home, I take longer lunch breaks and I often stop working earlier, but I’m still three times as productive compared to sitting in an office.

At home, I actually get focused time to do something and think. At the office, this is extreamly difficult with all the distractions and noise constantly interrupting my train of thought.

  • AlecSadler
    46·
    2 months ago

    When I used to work in office:

    • Wake up at 7am, get ready to go and take a 1 hour commute in, usually there by 9:00
    • Try to find parking, walk to office, morning break room coffee and chatter, usually settle in around 9:30
    • Get interrupted multiple times by desk drive bys
    • Take 2 hour lunch around noon with multiple coworkers because why not
    • Get interrupted multiple times by desk drive bys
    • Leave at 4 to try and avoid some traffic

    Now that I work from home:

    • Wake up and hop online to work, usually settle in by 7:30am
    • No desk drive by interruptions
    • Eat at my desk during meetings or while simultaneously working
    • Sometimes start laundry or something during the day, but who cares?
    • Usually work later than 5
    • Crackhappy@lemmy.worldEnglish
      37·
      2 months ago

      Every time I get asked about going back into an office my response is “Why would you want me to be far less productive?”

        • AlecSadler
          11·
          2 months ago

          My friend’s job has hybrid RTO and it basically means half the team is still out when you’re in the office so they still meet on Zoom/Teams, haha…what a waste

          • exanime@lemmy.world
            10·
            2 months ago

            Same here… we get one day in the office, I have tried to make the best of it but nobody cares, I find myself there with less than half the team to:

            • hop around until I get a desk where everything I need works

            • get interrupted by people not on my team all the time because why not say hi

            • get complaints because all my meetings are Teams anyway and everyone is mad they hear a crowd when I am not muted

            • Lose 45 mins of my life getting ready and another 1.5 in traffic (round trip) to work less in the office

          • skyspydude1@lemmy.world
            2·
            2 months ago

            The other reality is that even with full RTO, in a position like mine, I’m working with groups spanning about 12hrs of time zones. I’m not seeing half the group anyway, so what’s the point of going in when everyone is still taking the calls at their desks?

      • KinglyWeevil@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        2·
        2 months ago

        So that we feel vindicated in actually owning your productive time. So that management can show they add value by watching you work.