Tidying desks, organising inboxes and long loo breaks have been named as the top ways Brits waste time at work.
The study by electronic cigarette manufacturer, ECigaretteDirect.co.uk quizzed more than 550 office workers on their procrastination tactics.
The vast majority of respondents, 83%, confessed to have tidied paperwork on their desk in order to waste time.
Similarly, almost eight in ten 79% admitted to re organising their email inbox in a bid to make the minutes go by.
More than three quarters 76%, said that they had spent a longer time than necessary in the toilet in order to help the day go a bit quicker.
The majority of respondents, 57%, said that they had offered to make a large round of teas and coffees so they could spend some time in the kitchen rather than at their desk.
Two thirds, 66%, said that they had deliberately started conversations about non-work related matters to pass the time.
Nearly a fifth, 18%, said they took extra cigarette breaks and almost one in 20, four per cent, confessed to pretending to smoke just to get away from their desks.
One person who took part in the survey said: “There are some days at the office where the minutes just seem to go like hours – more often than not it’s on a Friday.
“It gets to that point in the afternoon when you feel like you just want to clock off early, put your feet up at home and crack open a bottle of wine.
“In the past I have spent ages sorting through papers on my desk, putting them in different files and shredding stuff I don’t need anymore. It’s a great way to waste time yet still look busy.”
Another said: “Sometimes I offer to make the large afternoon tea round. There’s 25 people in our office so it takes a while.
“Yes doing it is a bit dull, but anything beats sitting at my desk trying to will the clock to go faster.”
James Dunworth, co-founder of ECigaretteDirect.co.uk commented: “We all have those days when you could do with it being 5:30 by about 3pm.
“The key to making your day go fast is to effectively manage your time and to keep yourself busy.
“Often I prioritise my day’s actions, leaving the most enjoyable tasks to the afternoon, that way the end of the working day seems to go much quicker. After all, you know what they say, time flies when you are having fun.
“There is never any real excuse for excessive loo or cigarette breaks. If employers think that this is a problem they could always offer their employees e-cigs. As they are tobacco free they can use them at their desks.”
