Non-Productive Time

Time which is not spent directly in the making of a product. This term is often used to help managers determine the efficiency of working practices and workers, however, it should not necessarily be seen as a measure of idle, wasted, lost or similar time. The reason for this is, for example, that thinking time is an important aspect of modern working life and this cannot be readily allocated to the direct time used in producing goods. In addition, the various other work activities of meetings, answering emails, assisting and giving guidance to others, attending training courses or toolbox talks etc. are all essential components of an effective workplace, yet it is difficult to accurately assign these activities as productive because they take place within the entire working system rather than for a specific outcome. Non-productive time should be seen as helping to keep the ‘organisational cogs well oiled', rather than taking a totally reductionist approach of considering this time which should be reduced to a minimum.
Managing productivity will involve analysis of working practices and work / time measurement and this can improve efficiency, although care needs to be taken to ensure a systems approach is taken to prevent unintended negative consequences impacting on other areas of an organisation if too narrow a focused view is taken on non-productive time.