Money News
We spend more than 14 hours a month, or 40 minutes of our working day, social 'not-working', according to new research from AXA. Indeed, employees use up on average around five and a half days of the working year sending text messages, emailing friends and family, visiting social net-working websites, making personal phone calls, and gossiping, the new study reveals.
Add other activities, such as online shopping, booking holidays and even gambling at their desks to the equation and employees are spending more than 50 minutes every single day on non-work related activities.
The research comes ahead of the launch of AXA's 'My Budget Day' (November 21st), a national programme designed to encourage all UK adults to commit one hour a month to sorting out their finances.
As UK employees suffer a serious lack of motivation when it comes to spending time addressing their money matters, AXA is asking employers to help their employees kick start the programme by giving them the first hour while they are at work. The initiative is being supported by the CBI and the UK's largest union, Unite,. AXA has pledged the hour to its 12,000 UK employees.
AXA's research shows that just one hour a month spent reviewing your money can improve finances and reduce stress dramatically. Worryingly, one in three people don't do anything at all whilst the average person spends only 22 minutes per month considering their finances.
The research found that Londoners are most guilty of spending time social 'not-working'. They spend more time than any other region emailing friends and family, looking at social networking sites and making personal phone calls.
However, when it comes to gossiping in the office, employees in the North West spend 13 minutes a day compared to people in the South East and East Anglia who spend less than 10 minutes a day chatting to colleagues.
Scots spend the most time texting, and those in the Midlands are most likely to indulge in online shopping while at work.
Pat Brady of AXA says: "We all have to start taking greater responsibility for the financial state of the nation and employers can play a really important role.
"With employees already spending some time on non-work related activities, giving them official time to take part needn't result in a hit on productivity. In fact, we have seen through our pilot, that employees are actually more motivated as a result of this initiative."
29 October 2007 © Moneyextra.com
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