A growing number of workers are losing significant amounts of productive time each year due to digital distractions, with social media emerging as the top culprit, according to a new survey.
The survey, conducted by Resume Now in February 2025 and based on responses from 1,127 U.S. workers, found that 58 per cent of employees waste between 30 minutes and one hour per workday on non-work activities. That translates to more than six full weeks of lost productivity annually per employee.
Social media leads personal distractions
More than half of respondents (53 per cent) admitted to regularly posting selfies or social media updates during work hours, while another 41 per cent said they did so occasionally. Overall, 27 per cent identified social media as their biggest workplace distraction, ranking higher than personal emails, online shopping, or meetings.
Other common distractions included personal texts and emails (16 per cent), streaming video (15 per cent), daydreaming (13 per cent), and gaming or mobile apps (11 per cent).
Time lost adds up
The report estimated that a single hour of lost productivity per workday adds up to 260 hours annually per employee. For a company with 1,000 workers, that equates to 260,000 lost hours a year. At an average wage of $25 per hour, the total cost of time-wasting could reach $6.5 million annually.
Only 6 per cent of respondents said they waste less than 15 minutes per day. No one claimed to be entirely distraction-free.
Meetings also under scrutiny
The survey also pointed to meetings as a major contributor to time-wasting. Forty-one per cent of respondents said they attend daily meetings that feel unproductive, while 42 per cent reported this happening weekly. Common issues included late arrivals, unnecessary large group settings, and lack of clear agendas.
Types of meetings considered most wasteful included large group sessions with limited participation (33 per cent), status updates with no real discussion (31 per cent), and meetings with unfocused or off-topic discussions (29 per cent).
Tools intended to boost efficiency add to the problem
Nearly half of workers (47 per cent) said communication and project management tools like Slack, email, and apps often contribute to distractions. An additional 22 per cent said such tools are a constant source of disruption, while 29 per cent said they rarely cause time-wasting.
Justifications for slacking off
When asked why they waste time, 29 per cent said they make up for it later by working harder. One in five (21 per cent) said wasting time helps prevent burnout, and 20 per cent said it was common and therefore acceptable. Nineteen per cent said they don’t see a problem as long as their boss doesn’t notice.
Resume Now career expert Keith Spencer said companies should look beyond stricter monitoring and instead focus on reducing unnecessary meetings and improving communication. “Empowering employees with more flexibility and clearer expectations will help them stay focused and productive,” he said.
