Nearly half of remote workers multitask on work calls or complete household chores like unloading the dishwasher or doing a load of laundry.
A third of remote workers use the flexibility of working from home to run errands, such as going to the grocery store or picking up dry cleaning.
As for taking naps during work hours, it’s more common than you might think—1 in 5 remote employees admitted to sneaking in some sleep.
About 17% of remote workers said they worked from a different location without informing anyone or spent time watching TV or playing video games. A smaller percentage, 4%, even confessed to holding down another job while on the clock.
Multitasking during Zoom calls is also widespread. Nearly a third of remote and hybrid employees said they’ve used the bathroom during a meeting, while 21% admitted to browsing social media, 14% shopped online, 12% did laundry, and 9% cleaned their kitchens.
Perhaps most surprising, 4% admitted to falling asleep, and 3% to taking a shower during calls.
"Employees are creating their own rules to manage the pressures of demanding work environments," said Wendy Smith, senior manager of research science at SurveyMonkey. "We found that what might be considered 'off-the-books behavior' is actually quite common."
And it’s not just lower-level workers. More than half of managers and 49% of executives also multitask on work calls, Smith noted.
When asked if they’ve ever browsed social media during a video or conference call, the responses from managers, executives, and individual contributors were similar (22%, 20%, and 21%, respectively).
However, managers and executives were more likely to shop online during calls, with 16% of managers and 14% of executives doing so, compared to 12% of individual contributors.
Generational differences also play a role:
- 26% of millennials admitted to taking naps during the workday, compared to 16% of Gen X.
- 18% of Gen Z reported working a second job, compared to just 2% of Gen X and 1% of boomers.
- 31% of Gen Z have worked from a different location without telling anyone, compared to 16% of Gen X.
