This was an interesting little article. I found it while doing research… honest!!
At Work: Forbidden web time spent on…
…news sites! That’s right, when the boss isn’t looking, we’re sneaking a peek at the latest headlines. We’re a nation of news junkies. Literally.
In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and Websense Inc., a company that makes software to monitor and block employee Web use, 67 percent said they visit news sites most frequently and fully 23 percent of workers surveyed said they considered news the most addictive Web content. When we aren’t scanning the headlines, checking our stocks, or tracking sports scores at work, we’re shopping online. Gee, when do we have time to actually WORK?
Many U.S. employees have an Internet connection in their offices, and just exactly what they’re doing when no one is looking is of great concern to the boss. In the early days of at-work Net access, many people were looking at pornography or even gambling online. Companies cracked down on that fast and hard since they faced huge legal liabilities for their employees’ indiscretions. While some employees still manage to get to the forbidden sites on the boss’s time, it’s not as common as managers may think.
Specifically, the Harris Interactive/Websense survey found that workers are most tempted by these Web sites while on the job:
• News: 67 percent
• Shopping: 37 percent
• Pornography: 2 percent
• Gambling: 2 percent
How many hours a week are we surfing when the boss’s back is turned?
1 to 2 hours: 40 percent
3 to 4 hours: 7 percent
5 to 9 hours: 10 percent
10-19 hours: 6 percent
20 to 39 hours: 7 percent
40 hours: 4 percent
Never: 6 percent
Not sure: 20 percent
This is how addictive it is: More than half said they would rather give up coffee at work than the Internet.
And here’s the rub for management: Most bosses have no idea how their employees are using the Web to slack off and waste time. Steve Purdham, CEO of SurfControl, a British company that makes Internet monitoring products, told Reuters that employers are sometimes so focused on blocking access to questionable content that could carry a legal liability, especially pornography, that they overlook the more obvious drains on worker productivity. “A lot of people have a personal interest in seeing how their stocks are doing, and somewhere around the world, there is always some kind of global sports event going on,” he said.
So what are you doing at work today?