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WorkTime research 2026
This research shows how employees actually spend their time at work, on computers, where most modern work takes place, covering the years 2024-2025.
The data reflects computer-based activity only. Offline work such as meetings, calls, or paperwork is not included in this report and will be covered in a separate study.
The study is conducted by WorkTime, a non-invasive employee monitoring software trusted by organizations worldwide for over 26 years
We measure several key categories: active time, productive time, unproductive time, and idle time (when computers are on but not used). The report also identifies the top unproductive websites and applications, analyzed by country and by company size.
Additionally, the research examines three types of managerial engagement, highly engaged, moderately engaged, and low engaged managers, and how each correlates with employee performance patterns.
Study period
January 2024 – December 2025
Countries analyzed
Australia, Canada, India, South Africa, UK, USA
Data source
WorkTime customers across multiple industries
Data safety
100% anonymized and privacy-compliant
Global reach
Thousands of companies Hundreds of thousands of employees
This study focuses on three main types of computer time: active, unproductive, and idle. Together, they show how computer work hours are truly distributed in 2024–2025.
Periods when employees actively use their computers: typing, moving the mouse, or switching between work applications. Includes both productive and unproductive activity.
Time spent on work-related websites or applications.
Time spent on non-work-related websites or applications, such as entertainment or social media, as defined by each organization.
When computers remain on but unused: no keyboard or mouse activity is detected. Reflects breaks, meetings, or downtime away from the screen.
These three categories form the foundation of this research, providing a clear and measurable view of how employee time is spent at work.
#1
unproductive website globally
#1
unproductive application globally
48%
when computers are on but not is use
52%
when employees actively use their computers
49%
when employees actively work with productive apps and websites
Globally, an average working day is divided as follows:
Employees actively use their computers for 52% of the working day on average. This active time is split into 49% spent on productive activities and 3% on unproductive activities.
On average, 48% of the working day is spent with computers on but not in use, known as idle time. This idle time may include breaks, offline meetings, or other on-computer-based activities.
This chart illustrates the average active and idle time for employees over an average month during 2024–2025.
Overall, active time remains fairly consistent throughout the year, with a slight dip in December. Employees tend to be more active in October, November, and January, with October being the most active month.
This chart shows the average working day across the week, with Friday being the least active day on average during 2024–2025. Tuesday and Wednesday are almost identical in terms of activity, while Monday and Thursday are also nearly equal in terms of employee engagement.
This chart illustrates the average active and idle time per employee, per hour, based on an average working day during 2024–2025. Peak activity hours: employees are most active between 9 AM and 3 PM on average.
TOP 30 APPLICATIONS
TOP 30 WEBSITES
| Time | Australia | Canada | India | South Africa | UK | USA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idle |
57% |
47% |
43% |
30% |
58% |
51% |
| Active |
43% |
53% |
57% |
70% |
42% |
49% |
| Unproductive |
4% |
1% |
4% |
4% |
3% |
4% |
|
Unproductive websites
|
||||||
| # 1 |
 mahjong-game.com |
 youtube.com |
youtube.com |
youtube.com |
youtube.com |
youtube.com |
| # 2 |
youtube.com |
 facebook.com |
 web.whatsapp.com |
facebook.com |
 bbc.co.uk |
 amazon.com |
| # 3 |
 news.com.au |
amazon.ca |
amazon.in |
 netflix.com |
facebook.com |
facebook.com |
| # 4 |
 msn.com |
netflix.com |
 irctc.co.in |
 chess.com |
 dailymail.co.uk |
 nytimes.com |
| # 5 |
 kixeye.com |
 spotify.com |
 news.google.com |
spotify.com |
 ebay.co.uko.uk |
 cnn.com |
| Key insight | YouTube is the leading unproductive website globally. YouTube ranks as the #1 unproductive site in five out of six countries, making it the most common source of digital distraction during work hours. |
| Employees | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 1-50 | 51–200 | 201–1000 | 1000+ |
| Idle |
30% |
46 |
51% |
54% |
| Active |
67% |
51% |
46% |
42% |
| Unproductive |
3% |
3% |
3% |
4% |
|
Unproductive websites
|
||||
| # 1 |
youtube.com |
youtube.com |
youtube.com |
youtube.com |
| # 2 |
facebook.com |
facebook.com |
 linkedin.com |
msn.com |
| # 3 |
msn.com |
msn.com |
msn.com |
amazon.com |
| # 4 |
linkedin.com |
amazon.com |
 worldofsolitaire.com |
nytimes.com |
| # 5 |
amazon.com |
netflix.com |
facebook.com |
facebook.com |
| Key insight | Growth doesn’t equal productivity: active time steadily declines as companies scale, hitting its lowest point in large enterprises. |
As the research shows, an average office employee using computers is active for about 44% of the working day. However, these numbers can vary significantly depending on management style and how managers leverage employee monitoring to optimize productivity and engagement.
Highly engaged managers view productivity monitoring reports as a powerful tool for both communication and continuous improvement. Rather than just analyzing the numbers, these managers actively share the reports with their teams, discussing performance on a regular basis.
The diagram below illustrates the results achieved by a highly engaged manager.
This company shows performance results way above average because of the manager being highly involved with the team and actively shares performance reports:
Employees in this team actively use their computers for 80% of the working day on average. This active time is split into 75% spent on productive activities and 5% on unproductive activities.
On average, 20% of the working day is spent with computers on but not in use, known as idle time. This idle time may include breaks, offline meetings, or other on-computer-based activities.
Moderately engaged managers might regularly review productivity reports but rarely discuss the results with their teams. In many cases, employees are given access to their own reports to self-assess performance.
The diagram below illustrates the results achieved by a moderately engaged manager.
This company shows performance results way above average because of the manager being highly involved with the team and actively shares performance reports:
Employees in this team actively use their computers for 56% of the working day on average. This active time is split into 54 spent on productive activities and 2% on unproductive activities.
On average, 44% of the working day is spent with computers on but not in use, known as idle time. This idle time may include breaks, offline meetings, or other on-computer-based activities.
Minimally engaged managers may occasionally review productivity reports but seldom discuss the findings with their teams. Instead, they tend to focus on identifying negative trends and addressing issues only when performance problems arise. In such environments, employees typically do not have access to their own reports for self-assessment.
The diagram below illustrates the results achieved by a minimally engaged manager.
This company shows performance results way above average because of the manager being highly involved with the team and actively shares performance reports:
Employees in this team actively use their computers for 40% of the working day on average. This active time is split into 38% spent on productive activities and 2% on unproductive activities.
On average, 62% of the working day is spent with computers on but not in use, known as idle time. This idle time may include breaks, offline meetings, or other on-computer-based activities.
As this chart demonstrates, the more engaged a manager is, the more they communicate with their team. As a result, the team tends to show higher active productive time.
Excellent boost!
Country: UK-Japan
Industry: Banking
Size: 170 employees
The challenge: After switching to remote work during COVID, the bank’s customer service productivity and response times dropped. Unlike in the office, managers couldn’t tell if employees were truly active or just away from their computers.
The solution: WorkTime computer active time monitoring software.
GDPR UK: The company uses the WorkTime On-premise edition to ensure GDPR compliance in the UK.
The results: Employee computer active time increased instantly from 30-40% to 86%!
WorkTime boosted active time from 40% to 86% - with full privacy and GDPR compliance.
Why it worked: Privacy-respecting,
non-invasive monitoring; GDPR-compliant; active vs. idle time reports.
Excellent boost!
Country: South Africa
Industry: Telecommunications
Size: 20+ employees
The challenge: Employees getting disengaged and the management gets overloaded.
The solution: WorkTime Cloud
The results: The initial productivity percentage was about 40%, and now it reaches 95%! Clear KPIs provided by WorkTime are keeping employees engaged, and overall employee performance is now very high. Problematic team members are now more visible, and each team member is very clear about the KPI expectations.
2+ yeas of success! This telecommunication company doubled its performance!
Why it worked:
Non-invasive, feature-rich, great tool for employee engagement.
Productivity & responsibility boosted!
Country: South Africa
Industry: Financial services
Size: 200 employees
The challenge: Management wanted to boost employee responsibility, ensure remote work was genuine, and verify overtime claims.
The solution: WorkTime Cloud
The results: According to IT manager Karin R., since implementation, there has been a monthly increase in productivity. Staff can now manage themselves and take responsibility for their own productivity.
WorkTime drove monthly productivity growth by empowering employees with their own reports.
Why it worked: Easy setup, accurate data, and employee access to reports.
Manager’s quick checklist
Tips for effective use
1. Define the purpose
Explain why the policy exists.
Example:
“The goal of this policy is to improve time efficiency, transparency, and teamwork through privacy-first productivity insights.”
2. Clarify what is monitored
Specify the data types and boundaries.
Example:
“Only computer-based work activity is analyzed. No personal or private data (such as screenshots, emails, or messages) is collected.”
3. Set clear expectations
Outline how employees and managers should use time data.
Example:
“Reports are reviewed weekly to identify workflow improvements, not to control individuals.”
4. Define access and transparency
Describe who can view reports.
Example:
“Managers receive team-level reports; employees have access to their own data for self-assessment.”
5. Establish review frequency
Set a routine for reviewing time reports.
Example:
“Weekly summaries and quarterly performance reviews are recommended.”
6. Address communication standards
Encourage open discussion of results.
Example:
“Managers are expected to discuss productivity trends in regular team meetings.”
7. Ensure compliance and privacy
Add a compliance statement.
Example:
“This policy complies with GDPR, HIPAA, and other applicable privacy regulations. All data is anonymized where possible.”
8. Keep It positive and business-focused
Close with a guiding principle.
Example:
“The purpose of time monitoring is to optimize workflows and support employees - not to penalize them.”
Who we are
We are a productivity monitoring software company with a strong focus on employee privacy and data protection. We call our approach socially responsible, green employee monitoring - because productivity insights should never come at the cost of trust.
With over 25 years of expertise, WorkTime has been at the forefront of ethical monitoring practices, helping organizations worldwide improve efficiency without invading privacy.
About the product
WorkTime® employee monitoring software and service is the flagship product of NesterSoft Inc., headquartered in Canada.
Launched in 1998, WorkTime remains the only non-invasive (“Green”) employee monitoring solution dedicated solely to productivity analysis. It ensures transparent, privacy-respectful monitoring designed for today’s hybrid and remote workplaces.
Compliance and security
WorkTime operates in full alignment with major global privacy standards:
Every feature is built to help organizations stay compliant while maintaining employee trust.
All research data is anonymized, aggregated, and processed in accordance with applicable privacy laws, including GDPR and other regional regulations.
Read our privacy policy
This research is based on anonymized, aggregated computer activity data collected through the WorkTime platform during 2024–2025.
See research methodology
When referencing this research, please cite as: WorkTime research 2026: Computer usage statistics: a global study (2024–2025).
For quotes, data clarifications, or interview requests:
WorkTime research team
Global active time stands at 52%, with WhatsApp and YouTube identified as the leading unproductive applications.
Data indicates that activity levels decrease as company size increases and are significantly influenced by management style.
