Aussie workers are spending more time working during their holidays and personal time, according to a new survey.
The global survey from Jive Software polled over 1,000 Australian employees, finding that 94 per cent are completing work tasks in their personal time.
Up to 42 per cent are working more than seven hours a week during non-business hours – the equivalent of an extra day’s unpaid work. Over half said they have spent time on work tasks on holiday.
Robert Yue, VP of Jive Asia Pacific said low productivity in the office is to blame for the time spent working at home.
“Workers are forgoing time with their families and friends to keep their workload under control. While the increasing use of mobile devices is aiding flexibility, it’s clear the current working environment isn’t resulting in effective and efficient work practices for all Australians,” Yue said.
Over three quarters of survey respondents across Australia, the UK, and the US believe that improving their productivity at work could mean getting back at least five hours of personal time.
The key barriers to improving productivity in the modern work environment include distracting co-workers, emails, and meetings.
Yue believes email is a system that could benefit from being integrated into a more collaborative framework.
“In our busy lives, workers should be able to operate individually as well as in a team to generate business results, and this shouldn’t eat into personal time,” he said.
