American Employees Tend To Work More Hours During Personal Time

The FINANCIAL — Just how much do people work when not at work? More than 90 percent of employees in the United States and Australia, and 88 percent of employees in Great Britain, report working during non-business hours, according to the newly released survey results from Jive Software, Inc.

American employees tend to work more hours during personal time compared to their Australian and British counterparts. 37 percent of American employees are reporting they work more than 10 hours per week during their "off" time. 27 percent of Australian employees and 18 percent of British employees reported working more than 10 hours per week during their personal time, according to the rstudy conducted by Harris Interactive.

A majority of employees use their personal electronic devices for work-related purposes, which may be a culprit for the blurring of work at home and during personal time. In related findings, U.S. employees could potentially improve their personal relationships and health if given more hours in a week.

91 percent of employed adults in the U.S., Great Britain and Australia report working during personal time. The highest proportion of employees working 10 or more hours per week during their personal time is reported by American workers, with 37 percent doing so. 27 percent of Australians and 18 percent of Brits also report working more than 10 hours per week during their personal time.
11 percent of employees in the U.S., Great Britain and Australia are working an extra 7-10 hours per week during their "off" time – the equivalent of a full work day.

63 percent of workers in the U.S., Great Britain and Australia said that if they had 10 more hours in any given week, they would spend more time with family and friends. 43 percent of American, Australian and British workers reported they would spend more time exercising if they had 10 more hours in any given week, according to the report.

Of those who take vacation, 50 percent of U.S. workers and 51 percent of Australian workers reported devoting some time to doing work while on vacation, compared to only 34 percent of Brits. 14 percent of workers in the U.S., Great Britain and Australia do not take vacations. Compared with a related online Jive survey conducted on their behalf by Harris Interactive in February 2013, the percentage of American employees who take vacation has dropped slightly from 88 percent to 85 percent.

Personal smartphones and tablets are becoming common habit at work in the U.S. and Australia, according to the report.  More than half of employed people in the U.S. (62 percent) and Australia (51 percent) use their personal smartphones or tablets for work-related purposes, compared with only 36 percent of Brits.

"Employees around the globe are spending far too much time on unproductive work: sitting through unnecessary meetings, wading through endless email, and constantly searching for long-lost documents—leading to more people doing their actual jobs on off hours," said Nathan Rawlins, vice president of product marketing at Jive. "Fortunately, with social collaboration, businesses can transform the way people work, ensuring employees can be more productive at the office, while giving them time back for a balanced life. The result: more productive, happier employees," Rawlins added.