The surprising connection between after-hours work and decreased productivity

Quick take: How do you spend your time at work and what is it costing you? Slack’s Workforce Index, based on survey responses from more than 10,000 desk workers around the globe, uncovers new findings on how to structure the workday to maximize productivity and strengthen employee well-being and satisfaction.

Key learnings include:

• Employees who log off at the end of the workday register 20% higher productivity scores than those who feel obligated to work after hours.
• Making time for breaks during the workday improves employee productivity and well-being, and yet half of all desk workers say they rarely or never take breaks.
• On average, desk workers say that the ideal amount of focus time is around four hours a day, and more than two hours a day in meetings is the tipping point at which a majority of workers feel overburdened by meetings.
• Three out of every four desk workers report working in the 3 to 6pm timeframe, but of those, only one in four consider these hours highly productive.

For decades, putting in extra hours at the office was seen by many as a sign of hard work and productivity, even a badge of honor. But new research from Slack shows despite that longstanding perception, working after hours is more often associated with lower levels of productivity—and could be a red flag that an employee is juggling too many tasks and needs help prioritizing and balancing their time.

The latest results from the Workforce Index, Slack’s survey of more than 10,000 desk workers, show the productivity gap depends on what’s driving workers to burn the midnight (or early morning) oil. About two out of every five desk workers (37%) are logging on outside of their company’s standard hours at least weekly, and more than half (54%) of these workers say it’s because they feel pressured to, not because they choose to.

Employees who feel obligated to work after-hours register 20% lower productivity scores than those who log off at the end of the standard workday. They also report:

• 2.1x worse work-related stress
• 1.7x times lower satisfaction with their overall working environment
• 2x greater burnout

Both groups say around 70% of their time spent working is productive—a sign that those working extra hours are putting in as much effort as their colleagues—but those who work after hours are 50% more likely to say their productivity is blocked by competing priorities compared to those who log a standard workday.

On the flip side, employees who work outside of standard hours by choice, to better suit their schedule or to pursue personal ambitions, report no negative impacts and even a slight uptick in their wellness and productivity scores.

When it comes to productivity, it’s not quantity of time spent working, it’s quality

Results from the Workforce Index show that a significant portion of desk workers across the globe are struggling to balance their time at work, with different job tiers experiencing this problem in different ways.

More than one in four desk workers (27%), including more than half (55%) of executives, say they spend too much time in meetings. A similar share (25%) of all desk workers, including 43% of executives, say they spend too much time in email.

One in five (20%) don’t have enough time to connect with coworkers, and this problem is most pronounced among more junior employees.

Alarmingly, the data shows that many workers across all levels are plowing through their daily tasks without any down time: Half of desk workers surveyed (50%) say they rarely or never take breaks during the workday. These workers are 1.7x more likely to experience burnout.

Their break-taking counterparts, on the other hand, show 62% higher scores for work-life balance, 43% greater ability to manage stress and anxiety, 43% greater overall satisfaction, and—perhaps surprisingly—13% higher scores for productivity.

Prime productivity hours: Whether you’re a morning person or a night owl, the afternoon slump is real

On average, desk workers say that 70% of their time at work is productive. When asked about prime hours for productivity, answers vary widely, with some desk workers preferring the morning and others preferring the evening. But no matter their preference, a majority (71%) of desk workers agree that the late afternoon is the worst time for work, with productivity plummeting between the hours of 3 and 6pm.

While three out of every four desk workers report working in the 3-6pm timeframe, only one in four consider these hours highly productive.

The most productive people use time management strategies. They are 1.6x more likely to block time to complete specific tasks, 1.7x more likely to only check email at specific times, and 2.2x more likely to set focus timers.

The “Goldilocks Zone” for work: How to balance your workday to optimize your productivity

While there’s no one-size-fits-all schedule that applies across all industries, roles, and job levels, a close examination of the data reveals a formula emerging to set employees up for success.

Regardless of job tier, the research shows a “Goldilocks Zone” for the ideal balance of focus time, collaboration time, social connection, and downtime. On average, desk workers say the ideal amount of focus time is around four hours a day. More than two hours a day in meetings is the tipping point at which a majority of workers say they’re spending “too much time” in meetings, with a similar pattern emerging across all job levels. People who say they spend too much time in meetings are more than twice as likely to say they don’t have enough time to focus.

In contrast, about 10% of desk workers, most common among employees with less than one year at a company and those under 30, say they spend too little time in meetings, and this is also associated with decreased sense of belonging and productivity.

What do desk workers most want from AI? Assistance and automation to rightsize the meeting load and free up time

At the same time that desk workers are struggling with time management, many are also excited about the potential of AI tools to give them more command over balancing their time.

An overwhelming majority of executives—94%—feel some urgency to incorporate AI into their organizations, with half of executives saying they feel a strong sense of urgency. And yet, our survey shows that adoption of AI is still in its infancy, with only one in five desk workers reporting that they have used AI tools for work.

Given the low adoption, it’s not surprising that most desk workers (more than 80%) say that AI tools are not improving their productivity at work—yet. But they’re anticipating that AI will assist with one of the biggest struggles of the workday: meetings. The top three activities that employees expect AI will provide the most value in the future are 1) meeting notes and recaps 2) writing assistance and 3) automation of workflows.

Are you working hard or working smart? Dive deeper into what the data shows about how to optimize your time at work in our webinar New research uncovers the secret to a productive workday.

Methodology

The Workforce Index surveyed 10,333 workers in the U.S., Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the U.K. between August 24 and September 15, 2023. The survey was administered by Qualtrics and did not target Slack or Salesforce employees or customers. Respondents were all desk workers, defined as employed full-time (30 or more hours per week) and either having one of the roles listed below or saying they “work with data, analyze information or think creatively”: executive management (e.g. president/partner, CEO, CFO, C-suite), senior management (e.g. executive VP, senior VP), middle management (e.g. department/group manager, VP), junior management (e.g. manager, team leader), senior staff (i.e. non-management), skilled office worker (e.g. analyst, graphic designer). For brevity, we refer to the survey population as “desk-based” or “desk workers.”