{
  "id": 14179476,
  "title": "UK workers are handling personal tasks during work hours — and they say it makes them more productive",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/13/uk-workers-are-handling-personal-tasks-during-work-hours-and-they-say",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-13T10:25:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TechRadar",
    "slug": "techradar",
    "url": "https://www.techradar.com/pro/uk-workers-are-handling-personal-tasks-during-work-hours-and-they-say-it-makes-them-more-productive"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A LiveCareer study reveals that a significant portion of UK workers take personal breaks during work hours, which may actually enhance productivity. A majority (86%) of the 7,000 respondents surveyed believe that short personal breaks during work hours improve overall productivity, while only a small fraction (3%) think it could be harmful. On average, workers spend between 30 and 120 minutes on personal tasks per day, with household chores and personal errands being the most common activities. Interestingly, this behavior is more prevalent in the UK compared to European countries, where employees take fewer breaks and spend less time on them. Despite the growing trend, the report does not detail the impact of taking personal breaks on work performance in each country, thus leaving unanswered whether this trend positively or negatively affects productivity.",
  "summary": "Half of UK workers take personal breaks daily, but only a quarter of Europeans do so – does taking time out help productivity?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}