Survey Team

Objective

The objective of the Digital Distraction & Workplace Safety Survey was to examine the impact of digital distraction during work hours on work, with an emphasis on workplace safety. 

Topics explored included the amount of time employees 
spend during the workday using digital content that is unrelated to their jobs, the impact of this distraction on accidents, property damage, and safety, employer policies regarding smartphone use, and the impact of working from home due to COVID on the use of non-work digital content during the workday.

Survey Execution

​Screen Education and Stark Statistical Consulting developed the Digital Distraction and Workplace Safety Survey questionnaire.

EMI Research Solutions fielded the survey April 7-9,   
2020, using its proprietary online survey platform.

​Stark Statistical Consulting provided analysis and cross-tabs, and Screen Education wrote this report. ​

Sample Profile

The sample was comprised of 1,019 U.S. employees and had a margin of error of + or - 3%.  

Respondents worked in a broad spectrum of industries, and held positions that were self-classified as Executive, Manager/Supervisor, and All Other Positions.  
The age of respondents ranged from 18 through 75 and over, and the gender composition was 49% male and 51% female. 

The sample was balanced by race and geographic region.

Summary of findings 

Employees are spending an enormous amount of time (2.5 hours) during each workday accessing digital content that is unrelated to their jobs.
​
While this hurts productivity, it's also a distraction that is putting employees at great risk for accidents --- accidents that damage property and cause injury and death.  And there is a higher rate of accidents in industrial settings, where heavy machinery, equipment, and vehicles are used. 

The categories of accidents that occurred most frequently were falling, walking into something, and crashing a company vehicle.  The most common accidents in an industrial setting were crashing a company vehicle, walking into something, and crashing a forklift. The gravity of the accidents was illustrated by examples respondents provided, which included included driving off a cliff, having an arm crushed in a press, and an injury to a patient in a healthcare facility. 
Half of respondents say their employer has in place policies that restrict smartphone use, and respondents nearly unanimously say their employer has explained very clearly the reason for the policies.  Yet the excessive use of digital content unrelated to work suggests that employees aren't complying with the policies, and employers aren't enforcing them.

A good portion (1/5) of employees want their employer to help them control their digital distraction during work.  An even greater portion (1/4) of industrial workers want their employer to help them.  
​
Just over half of employees who were working from home due to COVID say that they spend even more time than they used to during work hours socializing with family and friends via social media, text, email, and calls.

Employees experience hours of digital distraction
​​each workday

Respondents estimate the average employee at their workplace spends 2.5 hours each workday accessing digital content that is unrelated to their job.

​In our 2019 Digital Distraction at Work Brief Survey respondents estimated that they themselves spend 1.4 hours  accessing digital content that is unrelated to their job.
We believe that respondents are underestimating their own digital distraction during work, and projecting their actual digital distraction onto others.  Therefore, we believe that an accurate estimate lies between these two measures; that is, we believe the average employee spends somewhere between the ​1.4 hours people say they personally spend using digital content, and the 2.5 hours they say everyone else spends. 

Younger employees estimate a greater number of hours of digital distraction

We broke down by age the estimates of the amount of time respondents estimate the average employee spends during the workday accessing digital content unrelated to their job.  As the table below illustrates,  younger people estimate far more time than do older people.  
The difference across age groups may be the result of young people using their phones more and projecting that onto others, or, it may be that young people tend to work with a greater number of young people who have similar habits.  
Age
Estimated Daily Hours
of Digital Distraction Among Employees
​At Your Workplace
18-34
3.1
35-54
2.4
55 & Older
1.8

Digital distraction is causing workplace accidents

Fourteen percent (14%) of respondents said accidents have occurred in their workplace as a result of employees being distracted by their smartphones. 

However, accidents are more prevalent in industrial settings: 26% of those who work in an industrial setting said that accidents have occurred in their workplace 
because an employee was distracted by their phone.

By contrast, accidents are less prevalent in an office setting: 11% of respondents who work in an office setting said accidents have occurred in their workplace because an employee was distracted by their smartphone. 
Sample
% reporting
accidents at their workplace
​caused by
​digital distraction
Total Sample
14
Industrial Setting
26
Office Setting
11

Categories of workplace accidents caused by digital distraction

Type of Accident
% of All Respondents Who Reported
% of Respondents In An Industrial Setting Who Reported
% of Respondents In An Office Setting Who Reported
Falling
34
34
30
Walking Into Something
33
36
33
Company Vehicle
32
42
36
Forklift
21
36
22
Operating Heavy Machinery
15
23
11
Standing Still and being hit by something
15
11
7
Other
17
13
22

Accidents caused by smartphone distraction damage property

In 59% of the workplace accidents caused by smartphone distraction respondents said property was damaged.  
In 60% of those accidents it was the employer's property that was damaged, and in 40% it was a third party's property that was damaged. 

Accidents caused by digital distraction cause injury and death

Of respondents who said accidents had occurred in their workplace as a result of someone being distracted by their smartphone, 50% said someone was either injured or killed in those accidents. 

Examples of accidents caused by digital distraction

Office Setting
  • "Person was on their phone...elevator door was closing...their jacket got stuck and it kept going down which made...(their) collar choke them and leave a red mark."​
  • ​"A co-worker was walking while texting or reading on their phone and was hit by a motorized cart in the hall."
  • "Fell down stairs."
Healthcare Setting
  • "A nurse was checking her phone while an EMT was hustling down a hallway...she got hit by them."
  • "A patient fell because someone was listening to music and didn’t hear the alarm."
​Forklift
  • "A coworker drove the forklift towards a closed door, damaging the structure."
  • ​"A man's leg was run over by a forklift."
  • ​"Hi lo driver was paying attention to his phone. Ran into employee. She was...texting...the fork lift bumped her pretty hard she was hospitalized for a week."
Industrial Setting
  • "Someone was distracted by being on the phone when their arm was crushed by a press."
  • "...a crane operator was playing a game on his phone when the load he was moving crashed into other materials."​
  • "Loss of fingers. Hand was on equipment and operator was distracted by phone."​​
Driving
  • "Someone driving a company truck and they went to grab their phone and took their eyes off the road. They hit a utility pole."
  • "We had one employee in a company car texting and driving. He wasn't paying attention and rolled the car off a cliff. He came out of it completely safe." 
  • "One of our salesmen was texting while he was driving and totalled the car."​

Many employers already have smartphone policies

Forty-seven (47%) of respondents said their employer already has established a policy that restricts the use of personal smartphones during work hours. 
​​​Eighty-eight percent (88%) of that group say their employer has adequately explained to them the reason for the policy.

Many employees wish their employer would assist them in addressing digital distraction at work

Nineteen percent (19%) of respondents said they wish their employer would do something to assist them in addressing the digital distraction they experience during their workday. 

An even higher percentage of those who work in an industrial setting --- 27% --- would welcome assistance, while only 15% of those who work in an office setting would like help. 
This finding can be contextualized by comparing it with a finding from Screen Education's 2019 Digital Distraction in The Workplace survey.  In that survey 65% of respondents said they feel that smartphone distraction is a problem that employers need to address.  This finding also can be seen as a sign that a larger percentage of employees want help addressing their digital distraction, but that they are less forthcoming when the question is personalized, as it was in this newer survey.

Employees are digitally socializing more during the workday while working from home during COVID

Fifty-two percent (52%) of respondents say they are working from home more than usual due to COVID.

Fifty-four percent (54%) of that group report they were digitally communicating with friends and family during work hours more than they usually do via social media, text, email and phone calls.
This increase in virtual socializing during work hours may be the result of two distinct factors.  First, it could be the result of people feeling socially-isolated and lonely because they aren't able to socializing with their colleagues in person at work.  Second, it could be the result of people not having the check on their behavior provided by being in an office with a manager nearby.

Summary of data from respondents working in an industrial setting

  • The average person at their workplace spends 2.6 hours each workday accessing digital content that is unrelated to their job​
  • ​​26% say there have been accidents in their workplace caused by smartphone distraction​
  • 75% of those who reported accidents from digital distraction said property was damaged
  • 73% of those who reported property damage said property owned by their employer was damaged, and 43% said property owned by a third party was damaged​
  • 58% said someone was injured or killed in these accidents
  • 58% said their employer has a policy restricting personal smartphone use during work hours 
  • ​93% said their employer has adequately explained the reason for the smartphone policy
  • 27% wish their employer would assist them in reducing their smartphone use during work hours

Summary of data from respondents working in an office setting

  • The average person at their workplace spends 2.4 hours each workday accessing digital content that is unrelated to their job​
  • ​​10% say there have accidents in their workplace caused by smartphone distraction ​
  • 74% of those who reported accidents from digital distraction said property was damaged
  • 44% of those who reported property damage said property owned by their employer was damaged, and 37% said property owned by a third party was damaged​​
  • ​59% of those who reported accidents said someone was injured or killed
  • ​40% said their employer has a policy restricting personal smartphone use during work hours
  • 84% say their employer has adequately explained the reason for the smartphone policy
  • 15% wish their employer would assist them in reducing their smartphone use during work hours

Survey  Team
Screen Education tackles issues at the intersection of information technology and human wellness through research, seminars, and consulting. Visit www.ScreenEducation.org.
EMI Research Solutions is a leading online sample provider to the market research industry.  They leverage more than 150 partners in over 95 countries to provide the B2B or consumer sample that best fits their client's project.  To learn more about EMI, visit www.EMI-RS.com.
Stark Statistical Consulting provides statistical support for researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. Visit www.StarkStatistics.com.

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