Survey: Midday slumps, colleagues to blame for lack of office productivity

When is the best time to grab an afternoon coffee? Apparently around 1:30 p.m. for the majority of office workers, according to a new poll.

The poll of 2,000 office workers conducted by a research firm OnePoll found the majority of office workers on a traditional 9-to-5 scheduled noticed a dip in energy around 1:22 p.m. and then again at 2:07 p.m.

To combat fatigue, 31% of respondents said they grabbed a coffee, while 25% went for a walk outside.



The poll found the workers placed blame for their loss of energy on working at the computer too much, and said co-worker interruptions as well as needing a break contributed to their drop in productivity.

However, 54% of those polled said they thrive at the office and experience a boost in their work pace, as compared with being at home. Just over 20% polled said they’d prefer to work alone at home.

The most productive time of day for the 9-to-5 office worker is around 10:30 a.m., the poll found.

Megan Cloherty

WTOP Investigative Reporter Megan Cloherty primarily covers breaking news, crime and courts.

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