Behind the scenes
Half of Europe’s shoppers make secret purchases
by Alex Hämmerli
80 per cent of Europe’s homeworkers commit time theft
22.1.2026
Translation: Katherine Martin
Almost half of employees based in France spend more than an hour per day on non-work-related activities when working from home. Homeworkers in Germany are the least likely in Europe to slack off on company time. Although employees in Switzerland do commit time theft, they spend less time distracted by personal activities during business hours than their European counterparts. Meanwhile, employees living in Austria report the highest level of guilt about misusing company time. These are just some of the results emerging from a representative survey commissioned by Galaxus.
Which European countries are the biggest offenders when it comes to working time theft? How many hours of company time do employees spend on non-work-related activities? And do people feel guilty about slacking off on the job? Market researcher YouGov Switzerland put these questions to 5,060 people from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France as part of a representative survey conducted on behalf of online retailer Galaxus.
Germany’s home to the fewest working time thieves
In Germany, almost a third of homeworkers spend their entire working day on purely work-related activities. In Switzerland, the figure falls to one fifth, dropping to one tenth in Italy and France. Employees living in Germany are also the most honest when working at the office.
Regardless of whether they’re working at home or in the office, employees in Switzerland are more likely than their European counterparts to keep non-work-related activities to a minimum while they’re clocked in. More than 80 per cent of employees who work in the office spend no more than 30 minutes a day doing personal tasks during business hours. Seventy per cent of people who work from home reported the same. In Germany, a third of employees exceed this 30-minute limit, with the figure rising to two thirds in France. Almost half of homeworkers living in France spend more than an hour of their daily working time on non-work-related activities – a figure exceeding every other European country in the comparison.
Young people are most likely to be involved in time theft
Europe’s youngest employees are the most likely to blur the lines between work and play. Forty per cent of homeworkers under the age of 30 spend more than an hour on non-work-related activities. Like every other age group in the comparison, however, young employees are less likely to work on personal tasks at the office than at home. That being said, they’re still the worst offenders when it comes to office-based time theft.
It’s unclear from the survey results whether younger employees simply have more time to spend on non-work-related activities as a result of working more efficiently than their older colleagues.
Despite there being significant disparities between age groups when it comes to working time theft, there are practically no gender differences. Men and women are equally likely to use their working time for either professional or personal activities.
What we do when we’re supposed to be working
Employees in France are more likely than their European counterparts to ditch work in favour of falling down a social media rabbit hole (45%). In German offices, scrolling through Instagram, TikTok and the like is the most popular non-work-related activity (38%), with messaging friends and family members coming in joint first place.
In Switzerland, most people use their slacking-off time to read or watch the news (47%). In Italy (39%) and Austria (47%), people frequently make personal calls during work time. Compared to others in Europe, employees in Austria and Germany are also more likely than average to cook or eat while they’re on the clock (27%).
Do people feel guilty about time theft?
In the countries surveyed, people rarely lose sleep over using working time for non-work-related activities. Employees in Austria report the highest levels of guilt, with about a third of respondents saying they frequently or occasionally felt bad about engaging in time theft. Around a quarter of respondents in Germany, Switzerland and France stated they had time theft weighing on their conscience.
Italy’s workforce takes the most relaxed approach to time theft, with two thirds of respondents stating they never felt remorse over the practice.
The survey doesn’t draw any conclusions on whether doing non-work-related activities during the working day actually reduces productivity. In fact, studies show that taking a quick break to scroll through Instagram, read the news or message a friend might even be beneficial (linked article in German), contributing to a healthy work-life balance that reduces stress, prevents burnout and increases job satisfaction. And let’s face it: we know the most productive employees are happy, well-adjusted ones.
How much time do you spend on non-work-related activities each working day? Do you prefer going to the office or working from home? Does your working time theft give you sleepless nights? Or do you take a laid-back approach to the whole thing? We’re curious to read about your experiences.
Header image: Shutterstock
Tobias Heller
Communications Manager
Tobias.Heller@digitecgalaxus.chBehind the scenes
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