UK workers ‘giving up four weeks of their personal time’ a year to work

In 2019 UK workers gave up on average 171 hours of their personal time to work and spent most of this time completing menial tasks they can’t get done during working hours.

That’s according to new research from ServiceNow, which found that mundane and repetitive tasks are stalling productivity and causing UK employees to work during their evenings and weekends.

As many as 69% of UK workers are carrying out unpaid work outside their contracted hours, as they struggle to get tasks done.

According to the research, UK workers who do work outside of their contracted hours, dedicate on average 171 hours per year on unpaid work and are spending most of this time catching up on menial tasks they can’t get done during working hours.

The top culprits include answering emails (56%) and carrying out admin tasks (48%).

Jordi Ferrer, Vice President and General Manager for UK and Ireland at ServiceNow, said: “To boost productivity and job satisfaction, UK businesses must free up their employees from mundane tasks. By making work processes as simple and intuitive as the everyday tasks in our personal lives, businesses can enable employees to spend more time on meaningful work and driving business innovation. Technology can remove the complexity and friction from work and make employees more productive by eliminating redundant activities, enabling them to do their best work. We must listen, learn, and help to create a work environment and culture that equips UK workers to improve and grow.”

ServiceNow commissioned Vitreous World to survey 2,000 adults working in the UK, in organisations employing at least 50 people.