Ways employees spent their time during the pandemic

10 ways employees spent their time during the pandemic

March 7, 2022 5:30 AM

We had a lot of time to fill during the pandemic, as people’s routines were flipped upside down along with our sense of normalcy.

Now, nearly two years since those initial COVID lockdowns changed the way we work, communicate and live, we’ve adapted to new ways of doing things. It’s no longer odd to keep in touch with far-flung family, friends and coworkers with frequent Zoom calls, and our post-work routines include valuable hours that were previously spent with torturous commutes.

However, not all time is spent leisurely, especially for working parents, who are still struggling to manage child care responsibilities and their day-to-day lives. And with mental health stress perpetually on the rise, a lack of in-person connection may also be taking a toll.

So how are we really spending our time during the 9-to-5 — and after it, too? Check out these COVID-era stats for how our days are being spent and the changes that may be here for good.

Online meetings

The average worker spends 21.5 hours per week in meetings, up from 14.2 hours pre-pandemic, according to a report by calendar app, Reclaim.ai. But employers beware: 67% of employees say that too many meetings is holding them back from being productive at work, according to Otter.ai, an online meeting platform.

Virtual social events

More than half of employees attended a workplace gathering online, according to beverage company Four Loko. From virtual happy hours to trivia nights, the events helped bring people together, yet most employees are now getting tired of forced fun: only 25% of employees would like to keep up the virtual gatherings post-pandemic, according to a survey by Emeraude Escape, an escape room center.

Child care

Working parents had their hands beyond full during the pandemic, and have continued to juggle child care with work, despite a pandemic lull. Mothers in particular took on the majority of child care responsibilities, spending an average of 7.1 hours per day caring for their children, in addition to work, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fathers spent 4.9 hours on child care responsibilities.

Cooking and cleaning

Like child care, cooking and cleaning tasks were split by gender during the pandemic, with women taking on a larger share of domestic work. Married women spent 178 minutes per day on housework, with married men spending 137 minutes per day on these tasks, according to the National Science Foundation. Unemployed mothers spent a whopping 254 minutes per day on domestic duties.

Naps

A quarter of employees admitted to napping on the job during the pandemic, according to a study by The Better Sleep Council. Younger employees feel more comfortable taking time to sleep during the day, with Gen Z workers 3.4 times more likely and millennials 2.5 times more likely than boomers to nap. The average cat nap is 20-30 minutes, with 87% of people saying this time makes them feel refreshed and productive.

TV watching

TV and streaming filled the gaps of long pandemic days: Nielsen data found that Americans spend around 4 hours per day watching TV. That’s 1,460 hours – or 60.8 full days – spent watching TV per year. More than 70% of people also added a streaming service subscription to their lineup during the pandemic.

Social media

Social media usage ticks up every year, with the average social media user spending 109 minutes per day on apps, with Facebook taking the top spot of 58 minutes per day; Instagram follows at 53 minutes. Gen Z clocked in the most screen time per day, with nearly 9 hours spent online, according to data from service provider comparison site, Uswitch.

Exercise

Some people did find time to add some healthier habits to their pandemic routines. Eighty-eight percent of people who exercised 1-2 per week pre-pandemic ramped up their fitness during COVID, according to RunRepeat, a running shoe review website. At-home fitness may be here to stay: 70% of people have no plans to renew their gym memberships in the near future.