Two hours after lunch emerge as the least productive period
-Monday voted as most productive day and Thursday least productive
May 25, 2015: The first two hours of office are the most productive period for majority of India Inc. employees, shows a new JobBuzz.in survey. The least productive period? The two-hour period after lunch.
Over 65 per cent of all respondents told JobBuzz.in that they were most productive during the first two hours after reaching office. When asked, 63 per cent of the respondents said they worked 8-10 hours a day while the rest reportedly worked 6-8 hours a day. Nearly 70 per cent of those in the first category and 64 per cent in the second said the first two hours of office were most productive, the survey revealed.
"I manage to do my most focused work as soon as I come into office – my mind is clear, I have had my morning cuppa and there is a freshness in the air. The first hour in the morning at my workstation is usually when I create my best copy." says Shruti Yadav, a content manager at a big IT company.
“While there are individual variations as far as productivity is concerned, the point is that more hours don’t mean better work. Everyone has ‘that time of the day’ when everything seems to fall in place and things just seem to flow. To capitalize on this productive period one needs to prioritize strategically. Workplace environment, ergonomic factors, zeal and passion for the job, all help to push up the duration of this productive period,” says TimesJobs.com COO Vivek Madhukar.
This survey was conducted by JobBuzz.in, an employer rating and recommendation platform powered by TimesJobs.com. For the survey, a work day of average eight hours was equally divided into four parts: the first two hours of office, two hours before lunch, two hours from lunch and the last two hours of office.
On experience
In terms of experience, 80 per cent of senior and experienced professionals agreed that they felt most productive in the first two hours of office. On the other hand, entry and mid-level employees however felt most productive in the first two hours of office as well as during the last two hours, shows the survey.
Male vs. female workers
Of the total respondents, 56 per cent were male and 44 per cent were female. While 88 per cent male and 37 per cent female respondents said they were most productive in the first two hours of office. However, 32 per cent of the female respondents also found the two-hour period before lunch as most productive the JobBuzz.in survey found.
Don’t feel like working after lunch?
Over 70 per cent of the respondents felt the post-lunch two-hour period was the least productive. "Working lunches are the worst, the meeting goes on and pizzas are brought into the room – they are like sleeping tablets. The quality of the discussion immediately starts to fade, after lunch, everyone feels sleepy and lethargic." says Venkat Prasad, a senior program analyst at a dotcom.
But JobBuzz.in also revealed that there is a difference in the choices of male and female workers. While 70 per cent of male respondents said the two hours after lunch were the least productive period, nearly 50 per cent female respondents said they were least productive in the last two hours of office.
"By the end of the day, I get tired and distracted, and miss my little boy at home, who invariably calls me to ask me when I will be home. I just want to wrap up quickly and go home to my kid." explains Meenakshi Sinha, a product engineer at an IT firm.
Monday most productive
Monday was the most productive day for 45 per cent respondents, shows the survey while for 19 per cent, Wednesday is the most productive day. The least productive workday emerged as Thursday.
While 44 per cent of the respondents work five days a week; 56 per cent work six days a week. Of those working six days, 17 per cent said Saturday was the most productive day for work.
For 50 per cent of male respondents, Monday is the most productive day while for 17 per cent, it is Wednesday. For 42 per cent female employees too, Monday is most productive working day while for 21 per cent, it is Wednesday.
Monday works best for start-ups
A clear 50 per cent employees in startups felt Monday was their most productive day. While for big corporate employees, 40 per cent respondents said Monday was the most productive while 30 per cent voted for Wednesday.
Overall, 80 per cent employees with 5-10 years and over 10 years experience polled that they are most productive on Monday. And there was a 50-50 split for entry-level employees who felt either Monday or Wednesday were the most productive.
*Some names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
About JobBuzz.in :
JobBuzz is TimesJobs.com’s employee to employee community which helps jobseekers decide which company, industry and role is right for them by providing them company reviews, ratings, salary and interview information contributed by members who happen to be current or past employees of a company.
About TimesJobs.com:
TimesJobs.com, India’s leading career and recruitment portal, is one of the best-selling online ventures of the Times of India Group. Conceived and launched in 2004, TimesJobs.com currently has a candidate database of more than 20 million registered job-seekers across levels and functions who clock-in over 40 million page views a month.