25% of SME bosses waste time on social media

A quarter of small business owners admit the greatest waste of their time is spent browsing social media, shopping online and contacting friends.

The cohort of business leaders spending their time on Twitter and emailing friends is eclipsed only by those who consider administrative duties as the greatest waste of their time in a working day.

A survey carried out by software provider Sage Ireland also found that more than four in 10 owners of SMEs feel they do not have enough time in their working day.

Sage Ireland head of marketing, Avril McArdle said: “Our research shows just how important time is for SMEs, and the need to use it effectively as possible to optimise success. Particularly in smaller businesses, owners or managers can find themselves consumed by administrative tasks which can limit the time to concentrate on growing the business and increasing customers.”

The survey also found almost 60% of business owners are not spending enough time growing their business.

Given 50 extra minutes each day, only one in five respondents said that would spend it growing their business while the same percentage said they would use it to exercise and twice as many indicated they would opt to spend more time with their families.

The proportion of businesspeople working outside the office is also continuing to increase.

“Our research also shows a continually increasing trend for working remotely with 85% regularly working away from the office and one in five spending over 16 hours a week working out of the office. Businesspeople want access to their software and a system during these 16 hours to ensure time is as productive as if they were in the office, so it’s essential they can access that client sales invoice if they need to,” added Ms McArdle.

The majority of respondents (60%) said morning was the most productive time of the day.