The pie charts compare the proportions of working time in office spending on various tasks in the US in 1980 and 2006.
Overall, in 1980, using paper documents and talking with colleagues were more common among tasks, but as time went by, these tasks were done less in the office. Using a computer and doing other things has become the task that is most frequently performed in the office.
In 1980,using paper documents stood at 35%, which is the highest percentage in 1980. Continuing with talking with colleagues recorded 17%, and other things were slightly lower with 15%. By comparison,formal meetings and using telephones recorded almost similar totals, at 12% and 14%, respectively. Using a computer had the lowest proportion, with only 7%.
Turning to 2006, all tasks increased and decreased, albeit at varying degrees. Using computers became more common, at 35%, while using telephones dropped to 8%. Using paper documents and talking with colleagues decreased slightly to 9% and 15%, respectively. As for formal meetings, they showed a slight rise to 14%, and other things almost remained unchanged with a slight rise to 16%. Email usage emerged as a new category, accounting for 3% of office time.