Over Half of Workers Tell Employers This Expensive Lie — Especially Gen Z

Sep 16, 2025 10:30 PM - 5 months ago 203858

The truth is out of office for immoderate employees.

As workers progressively resist the 40-hour activity week, immoderate of them moreover crook the facts to get their clip back.

A caller study from online resume builder Kickresume, which surveyed astir 2,000 labor worldwide, recovered that only 18% of them activity the afloat 7-8 hours expected of them — unbeknownst to their managers.

Related: Are You Leaving Work Before 5 P.M.? You're Not Alone, the Workday Is Actually Getting Shorter, According to a New Report.

Instead, astir 60% of labor surveyed admitted they're not afloat honest connected their timesheets. Most (44%) said they information up each now and then; 12% said they sometimes agelong the truth a small bit. A overmuch smaller group (3%) said they regularly over-report their hours.

Disengaged labor contributed to an estimated $438 cardinal successful mislaid productivity successful 2024, per Gallup's latest State of the Global Workplace report.

There's besides a generational disagreement erstwhile it comes to lying astir hours worked, according to Kickresume's research.

Related: Gen Z Is Changing the Workplace — Here Are 4 Trends Employers Can't Ignore

Gen Z labor were the astir apt to admit to rounding up (49%) and stretching the truth (13%). Thirty-five percent of Gen Z workers claimed cleanable honesty successful timesheet reporting.

Gen X employees, connected the different hand, were astir apt (46%) to declare full honesty erstwhile filling retired their timesheets; 40% admitted to rounding up occasionally.

Millennial workers came successful adjacent down for claims of complete honesty astatine 43%, and 42% admitted to rounding up their hours from clip to time.

Related: This Is the Biggest Lie People Put connected Their Resume

Additionally, Gen X and millennial employees reported being arsenic apt (12%) to sometimes agelong the truth connected their hours.

Across each generations, conscionable 7% of labor said they ne'er return immoderate unofficial breaks during the work day, per Kickresume's research.

Among the mostly of workers who do springiness themselves immoderate leeway, coffee aliases snack breaks emerged arsenic the astir celebrated measurement to walk clip distant from activity (58%), the study found.

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