Why in the world do employers complain about people being on Facebook when social media should be the least of the time wasting concerns?

Numero Uno…they don’t get the potentials of social media relationships for business when it comes to sales or any type of relationship building. Out of the interviewed employees, they indicated that less than 5% of their wasted time at work was accounted for on a social site such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, YouTube, or others.

Employee Resolution: Let your boss know that most of your social media interaction at work is assessing moods of clients and developing relationships with existing and potential clients that could otherwise cost the company several thousands in travel expenses. Social media is the new way of prospecting and lead generation! Employers, monitor and ask where an employees leads are generated from, collect new lead information just as you do marketing demographics.

14% of wasted time was water cooler time with co-workers! Everyday my husband comes home from his job completely drained and full of dramatic stories in the workplace. Somedays his office could contain a therapist couch. Oh!  That’s right….chatty co-workers account for 14% of a co-workers day = taking the cake for the biggest time waster!

Employer Resolution: Allow employees to work remotely, they’re often happier being in a location of their choosing, not to mention the savings on office space.  Most of the water cooler gossip could be eliminated and employees are more productive when working solo. Employees, this isn’t your license to be lazy, employers can monitor your production much easier from software programs than with their eyes. See Mashable.com’s 37 Steps Productivity Steps To Work From Anywhere

Computer Glitches in the work place put the icing on the cake for the second largest time waster in the work place. WOW! So far, my husbands workplace can qualify for this one too. About a week ago his computer crashed! And a few months before that, a change in processes (that kinks were never worked out) cost him a ton of stress and wasted work hours!  For those of your wondering…yes, his work computer  was named  ”Dell”  and it liked to peak through a Window.

Employer Solution: Replace the Windows Operating Machines with Macs and don’t look back! Utilize online softwares or Mac versions of existing softwares. Think about it….why are there few or NO Mac repair stores?!? Because Apple repairs the issues at the Genius Bar, typically while you wait! My MacBook Pro has more dings than a 1950′s southern farm truck, yet it chugs along with no issues! On another thought….think of the money you’ll save with the IT department! You’ll need one guy for every five if even that many. (I just noticed something…I called the IT Dept a “Guy”. That’s because in all my years….I’ve yet to meet an IT Gal! What about you? Give an IT Gal a shout if you know of one!

In third place – Meeting account for 11% of time waste. Often, when consulting with businesses, there’s often a repeater and people that love to fade away from the Agenda! The meeting host or organizer should keep everyone on topic and to the point. Only 1% of the surveyed employees say that meetings are a complete waste of time. Ahhhhh….the necessary evils of work and production!

Lastly, the fourth waste of time was internet surfing. I do wonder of this 9% of wasted time at work was generated from Pinterest! Pinterest is known for sparring interests that lead to web surfing! Ahhhh….surfing sounds good! 🙂

This August 2012 survey conducted by Amplitude Research during among a nationwide panel of business and consumer professionals. 300 people were surveyed in the study commissioned by TrackVia, makers of a cloud-based application platform.

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Do you agree with the survey? What is the biggest time waster in your work place? Leave your comments below.