Survey: 55% Working Longer During Coronavirus Pandemic
The coronavirus pandemic has changed the way Americans work. While working from home may be a welcome change for some, others are finding that it can result in longer workdays.
Fishbowl, a social network for professionals, conducted a survey on its platform in mid-May to find out how working from home has been going during the quarantine period. A majority of respondents (55%) said they’ve been working longer hours at home than they did in the office before the COVID-19 outbreak.
Specifically:
19% were working an additional 10 hours or more a week
19% were working an additional 6 to 10 hours more a week
17% were working an additional 1 to 5 hours more a week
Fewer than 1 in 5 (19%) said they were working the same number of hours at home as they did in the workplace, while 26% said they have been putting in fewer hours while at home.
Remote working creates new routines
Any major change comes with an adjustment period. An April survey found that some employees have adjusted their work hours to accommodate family time while hunkered down together during the pandemic.
As employees adjust to productivity challenges associated with working from home, other factors such as gender and occupation may also play a role in whether one is likely to work longer hours at home, the survey suggests. While sizable percentages of both men and women said they were working longer hours during the pandemic, men (58%) were more likely to do so than women (51%).
Your workload may also vary based on your job. When it comes to occupations, consultants were most likely to work longer hours, with 61% reporting having a longer workday. They were followed by those in the following professions:
Teaching: 60%
Advertising and marketing: 59%
Finance: 55%
Accounting: 54%
Human resources: 51%
Health care: 34%
Legal: 34%
Regional effect on the workday
Where you live may also play a role in how many hours you work each day, the survey suggests. Employees in some parts of the country were more likely to log on for more hours while at home than when in the office before the pandemic.
In New Jersey, 61% reported working longer hours weekly. Workers in Nevada were the most likely to put in at least 10 additional hours a week, with more than a quarter (26%) reporting doing so.
On the flip side, Indiana had the highest percentage of workers (38%) who said they are working less at home than they did in the office. Indiana also had the highest percentage of workers (14%) who reported working at least 10 hours less per week since they’ve been doing their jobs from home.
Methodology: Fishbowl surveyed 16,585 professionals that use its platform between May 14 and 17. Among the companies respondents worked for were IBM, J.P. Morgan, Facebook, McKinsey & Co., Deloitte and Bank of America.
