The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Employee Hacks and Habits

The American workplace is increasingly creeping into every facet of employee’s lives, which makes it nearly impossible to decompress everyday. Because of the increased demands on time, employees become distracted and have turned to using hacks to cope with stress.

Bridge by Instructure conducted a survey of more than 1,000 office employees across the country to assess their habits in the workplace.

Distracted Working Can Be Costly

• Employees spend up to 77 minutes per day watching non-work-related TV or online videos while at work.

• This results in companies losing more than $8,800 per year per employee.

• This could cost a company with 5,000 employees as much as $44 million per year.

Vicious Cycle: Many Companies Create a Culture of Busyness and Burnout

Though employees are distracted at work, their company culture often doesn’t encourage an adequate work-life balance to help them unwind.

• Only ⅓ of respondents are encouraged by their employer to take PTO.

• Only 11% are encouraged to take mental health days.

• 78% said working more was an important factor in being promoted.

• ½ stated that socializing outside of work was also a factor in being promoted.

• 53% said that engaging in workplace politics was a moderately important factor in being promoted.

Employee Engagement Is a Problem

Today’s employees are overworked, overstressed, and under-rested. Many experience an element of burnout or disengagement with their work as a result. Our results unveil an opportunity for companies to improve career paths and identify areas for growth.

• 45% are somewhat satisfied with their current role.

• 44% are somewhat satisfied with their current job in comparison to opportunities available at their company.

• 25% have 1:1 meetings with their manager bi-annually or less.

Employees Develop Bad Habits to Deal with Stress

Employees may turn to substances as part of the way they manage stressors in the office.

• 34% of respondents said their job has increased reliance on caffeine.

• 9% said they increased their sugar intake.

• 7% stated they rely on anti-anxiety medication.

Good Coping Mechanisms

Many employees have adopted healthier alternatives to deal with work-related stress.

• 30% use yoga, excercise, or meditation to relieve stress.

• 44% leave their computers at work during non-work hours.

• 21% leave their work device in another room.

How Can We Help Employees?

Companies can help their employees become less distracted and more productive, less reliant on unhealthy substances, and more able to disconnect by creating a culture that encourages a work-life balance.

As a company, you can improve communication by having frequent 1:1 meetings with employees to help them map out their career aspirations, which will improve employee satisfaction and engagement. Creating a culture where your people aren’t dealing with excessive stress and have opportunities to unplug will improve employee well-being, and eliminate potential revenue losses by ensuring employees are ready to focus when it’s time to work.