Are you prone to that last afternoon coffee break to help push through the last hours of the work day? If so, you aren’t alone.
A new survey of senior managers says the late afternoon is the most common time for workers to hit a wall. Thirty-seven percent of managers surveyed said 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. is the least productive time of day for employees. Coming in second was 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., as cited by 28 percent of respondents.
“All professionals experience lulls in productivity, but the late afternoon, in particular, may not be a good time to hold brainstorming sessions or take on highly challenging projects,” said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps, a California-based staffing services firm, which developed the survey. “High-performing individuals are typically attuned to their most productive times of the day and, when possible, schedule their critical tasks during those hours.”
The survey was conducted by an independent research firm and is based on telephone interviews with more than 1,000 senior managers at companies with 20 or more employees. Â
Survery respondents said the most productive time of day was between 10 a.m. and noon, followed by 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.
