Researchers consistently find that in office jobs, people are capable of being productive for only about three hours per day, on average.35 The remaining hours are spent doing other things, including preparing food and drinks, chitchatting with coworkers, browsing social media, engaging in online shopping, or even just staring into space. When managers attempt to make up for this supposedly “lazy” time by requiring their employees to work longer hours, it actually backfires, and employees do even less.
