Is Surfing the Web Really Wasting Time at Work?

According to a survey by Statistics Canada, those who spend more than one hour online spend less time with their family, show less interest in outdoor activities, household chores and devote less time to work. No breaking news there, but did you know that those who surf the Internet while at work run a risk of being monitored by employers?

A few months ago, a New York City Judge ruled in favor of an employee who was reprimanded for surfing the web during working hours. Because it wasn't the employee's fault he had downtime, and the employer couldn't prove the employee wasn't being productive, the employee couldn't be fired, and instead he was written up. The good judge also brought up a good point, he said that "agencies should apply the same standard to personal Internet use as they do to other personal activities." According to CNET, "He noted that many agencies allow employees to take personal calls, or even read the newspaper, as long as those activities do not interfere with a worker's overall performance."

Salary.com conducted a survey of more than 10,000 people that indicates that on average, workers admit to spending two hours per day—not including lunch or other breaks—surfing the Internet. The Internet was the top distraction, followed by socializing with co-workers, conducting personal business and "spacing out."  On the average, employers don't expect employees to work a full eight hour day, on the contrary, they assume employees will waste .94 hours a day, yet those surveyed admitted to wasting two hours per day. What's interesting is that 33.2% of respondents cited lack of work as their main excuse for wasting time.

But before you go wasting more time on the Internet while you're at work, keep in mind that companies are already implementing monetary penalties. This article on ABC News says that dozens of employers are imposing fines starting at $1,000 per violation for abuse or excessive use of email and web surfing. Not sure how true this is, but seems a bit excessive to be true.

Now I don't want to give you any ideas, but if you must surf the web, a bright guy came up with this application that disguises your browser as a Word document.

So, are you reading this article from work?