Undertime

Undertime is time taken off during the workday to compensate for workload and stress. Tom DeMarco coined the term undertime in his book Slack. Workers typically engage in two types of undertime: time away from the office and time spent in the office doing personal affairs. Managers know workers engage in undertime but generally do not talk about it. Some managers recognize that undertime diversions and relaxation can lead to greater creativity and efficiency as workers rejuvenate themselves during a workday. In many work environments, time spent in the office is automatically equated to productivity. “Face time”—visibility in the office—often helps lower and MIDDLE MANAGERS get promoted. Recognizing that face time is important, workers will sit at their desk, looking busy while really engaging in undertime. They may be surfing the INTERNET, playing Internet games, making purchases for their personal use, or looking for a new job. Conspicuous undertime activities in the office are generally not acceptable. One exception is in technology companies, where workers will often engage in electronic games as a means of taking a break from their efforts. Undertime also involves getting out of the office. In some situations, extended lunch hours are accepted and ignored. In others, working out in a health center during the workday is acceptable. Workers often look to office leaders or supervisors to determine what is acceptable undertime activities. Wall Street Journal reporter Sue Shellenbarger reports there are gender differences in what is considered acceptable undertime activities: “It’s OK for women at some offices to attend their kids’ events, for instance—but not for men . . . [I]t was OK for men to make dates or even set trysts with lovers over the lunch hour. But women were expected to avoid making dates or even talking to spouses or lovers from the office.” Undertime differs from SOCIAL LOAFING in that social loafing occurs when a person contributes less effort to a group task than he or she would when working on the same task alone. Social loafing involves a “team” atmosphere that may tempt individuals to decrease their efforts rather than work harder. It can be especially problematic for organizations that rely heavily on group efforts in the workplace. Undertiming is an individual rather than a team workplace activity.
See also FAMILY-FRIENDLY BUSINESS PRACTICES.