How Much Time Do Your Employees Spend Doing Real Work? The Answer May Surprise You. (Infographic) A survey of more than 2,000 employees found that only 45 percent of time at the office is spent on primary job duties.

By Catherine Clifford

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Your employees are at work. Sure. But there's a better than 50 percent chance that they aren't getting real work done.

Employees say that they only spend 45 percent of their time at work actually completing their primary job duties, according to a survey of 2,000 office workers conducted by management software developer AtTask and market research firm Harris Interactive. That means more than half of their hours at the office are spent doing other things. Have a look at your latest payroll statement: that's expensive lost productivity.

Related: How to Be the Best Boss (Infographic)

Wasted time at the office goes toward taming the ever-spawning inbox, handling administrative tasks, going to meetings and dealing with miscellaneous interruptions, according to the survey.

For more data on the culture of the current office community, including how business employees prefer to communicate and what causes most workplace conflicts, have a looksee at the infographic embedded below.

Oh, and then get back to work.

Click to Enlarge+
How Much Time Do Your Employees Spend Doing Real Work? The Answer May Surprise You. (Infographic)

Related: Sam Adams Founder: 'You Can't Expect More of Your People Than You Expect of Yourself'

Catherine Clifford

Senior Entrepreneurship Writer at CNBC

Catherine Clifford is senior entrepreneurship writer at CNBC. She was formerly a senior writer at Entrepreneur.com, the small business reporter at CNNMoney and an assistant in the New York bureau for CNN. Clifford attended Columbia University where she earned a bachelor's degree. She lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. You can follow her on Twitter at @CatClifford.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Science & Technology

This AI is the Key to Unlocking Explosive Sales Growth in 2025

Tired of the hustle? Discover a free, hidden AI from Google that helped me double sales and triple leads in a month. Learn how this tool can analyze campaigns and uncover insights most marketers miss.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Leadership

The End of Bureaucracy — How Leadership Must Evolve in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

What if bureaucracy, the very system designed to maintain order, is now the greatest obstacle to progress?

Business News

A New Hampshire City Was Named the Hottest Housing Market in the U.S. This Year. Here's the Top 10 for 2024.

Zillow released its annual lists featuring the top housing markets, small towns, coastal cities, and geographic regions. Here's a look at the top real estate markets and towns in 2024.

Business Ideas

Is Your Business Healthy? Why Every Entrepreneur Needs To Do These 3 Checkups Every Year

You can't plan for the new year until you complete these checkups.

Business News

A Government Shutdown Could Cost the U.S. Economy $6 Billion a Week, According to EY's Chief Economist

Experts from EY tell Entrepreneur that a government shutdown could leave "a visible mark" on the economy.