Millions of Gen Z are doing life admin tasks like paying bills or renewing mobile phone contracts while at work, new research has revealed.

Nearly a fifth (18%) of young Brits do the majority of their life admin during office hours compared to one in 10 millennials (aged 28 to 43) and 8% of Gen X (aged 44 to 60).

The survey of more than 2,000 adults* found men are more likely than women to tackle life admin in the office, with 11% of men saying they do most of it at work compared to 7% of women.

The average person spends 24 hours a year – or three working days – on household admin like sorting bills and banking, according to Nous analysis of ONS data.

The research also found Gen Z and millennials were the most likely to delay their life admin.

More than half (59%) of Gen Z and millennials (58%) admitted to putting off more than five tasks on their to-do lists, compared to just over a quarter (27%) of baby boomers.

In 2025, Gen Z are forecast to make up more than a quarter (27%) of the workforce.

These young adults are also the most likely to put off tasks for long stretches of time.

A third (32%) of Gen Z have at least one life admin task they’ve delayed for six months or more compared to a quarter of millennials (24%) and Gen X (27%), and just one in 10 (12%) of baby boomers.

Jon Rudoe, co-founder of Nous.co, said: “Boring life admin tasks – like sorting your bills and calling providers – take up hours every week.

“It’s hardly surprising people don’t want to give up their free time to do them – and try to sneak them in at work instead.

“Any employer who thinks their employees aren’t doing life admin on company time is burying their head in the sand.

“The companies that manage this best embrace reality and help employees manage this stuff effectively.

“It’s about looking at ways to improve teams’ financial wellbeing through benefits and support that genuinely help ease the admin burden associated with things like bills, mortgages and switching contracts.

“We can’t stop employees from wanting to get a better deal on their mobile. But we can give them tools and tech to manage their finances effectively, easing stress and boosting productivity.”

26-year-old Genevieve Smith, who works in customer operations, says she does most of her life admin at work – but that her boss doesn’t mind.

“I got my first proper job during Covid when everyone was working from home, so I guess I never really got the chance to separate ‘life admin’ and ‘work’ – they all happened in the same place.

“My boss doesn’t care when I sort out personal admin in the office. As long as I get all my work done and don’t go overboard, he’s very laid back.

“I think that’s quite rare though – lots of my friends have to really try and hide the fact they’re doing life admin at their desks.

Genevieve says she tries to get through her to-do list during office hours so she doesn’t have to spend time on it at the weekend or in the evening.

“I really hate all those boring household jobs, I know some people who get a kick out of being organised with it but I really don’t,” she said.

“The worst is where you have to ring up a company and sit on hold for ages. Often I give up after about 10 minutes. I’m probably being ripped off because I don’t spend the time and effort on it.”

*commissioned by Nous.co,