MENUMENU
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR

  • LOGIN
  • SIGN UP FREE

HR Morning

MENUMENU
  • FREE RESOURCES
  • PREMIUM CONTENT
        • SEE MORE
          PREMIUM RESOURCES
  • HR DEEP DIVES
        • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resources for HR Professionals
          Employment Law
          Labor Law Posting Requirements: Everything You Need to Know
          Recruiting
          businesswoman selecting future employees on digital interfaces
          Recruiting Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
          Performance Management
          vector image of young female making star rating
          Performance Review Resources
          Employment Law
          Understanding Equal Employment Opportunity and the EEOC
          Recruiting
          Onboarding Resources for HR & Hiring Managers
  • CORONAVIRUS & HR
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • Performance Management
  • HR Technology
  • More
    • Leadership & Strategy
    • Compensation
    • Staff Administration
    • Policy & Procedures
    • Wellness
    • Staff Departure
    • Employee Services
    • Work Location
    • HR Career & Self-Care
    • Health Care
    • Retirement Plans

Is this today’s most overrated management problem?

Tim Gould
by Tim Gould
March 23, 2012
2 minute read
  • SHARE ON

As the Digital Age matures, employers of all sizes continue to wonder: Just how much time are workers wasting wandering on the Web? And what motivates them to do it? Well, now we know.
Salary.com recently released the results of a 3,200-person survey that looked into the issue of employees’ non-work Internet usage.
Almost two-thirds of respondents (64%) said they visit non-work related websites every day — and while that’s a substantial number, it’s 10% lower than it was when Salary.com conducted a similar survey in 2008.
Salary.com writer Aaron Gouveia offers a theory for the lower number: “With so many jobs lost in the last four years, it’s likely employees have less time to waste because they’re spending more time on their added job responsibilities.”
How much time is being lost?
OK, so almost everybody spends some time looking for stuff on the Internet that has nothing to do with their actual jobs. But exactly how much of the workweek is lost?
Not too awfully much, if we can trust the survey responses:

  • 39% said they spent less than an hour a week on non-work surfing
  • 29% estimated spending one to two hours
  • 21% said two to five hours
  • 8% said five to ten hours, and
  • 3% admitted to wasting more than ten hours a week on the Internet.

Seems like that bottom 11% need closer supervision.
Where are they going?
No big surprises in the listing of the websites employees visit most often:

  • Facebook — 41%
  • LinkedIn — 37%
  • Yahoo — 31%
  • Google+ — 28%
  • Amazon — 25%
  • CNN — 20%
  • YouTube — 13%
  • CraigsList — 10%
  • ESPN — 8%
  • Twitter — 8%, and
  • Pinterest — 4%.

What’re they doing when they get to these sites? Respondents said they checked email, caught up on the news, searched for (presumably non-work related) things on Google, or did personal shopping.
Why do they think it’s OK?
Salary.com asked participants why they wasted time at work. The responses could be instructive to managers looking for answers to why things aren’t operating at optimum efficiency:

  • 35% said they weren’t challenged enough
  • 34% cited long hours
  • 32% said they had no incentive to work hard
  • 30% said they were unsatisfied
  • 23% said they were bored, and
  • 18% cited low pay.

 
 
 
 
 

Get the latest from HRMorning in your inbox PLUS immediately access 10 FREE HR guides.

I WANT MY FREE GUIDES

Keep Up To Date with the Latest HR News

With HRMorning arriving in your inbox, you will never miss critical stories on labor laws, benefits, retention and onboarding strategies.

Sign up for a free HRMorning membership and get our newsletter!
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
HR Morning Logo
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linked In
  • ABOUT HRMORNING
  • ADVERTISE WITH US
  • WRITE FOR US
  • CONTACT
  • Employment Law
  • Benefits
  • Recruiting
  • Talent Management
  • HR Technology
  • Performance Management
  • Leadership & Strategy
  • Compensation & Payroll
  • Policy & Culture
  • Staff Administration
  • Wellness & Safety
  • Staff Departure
  • Employee Services
  • Work Location
  • HR Career & Self-Care

HRMorning, part of the SuccessFuel Network, provides the latest HR and employment law news for HR professionals in the trenches of small-to-medium-sized businesses. Rather than simply regurgitating the day’s headlines, HRMorning delivers actionable insights, helping HR execs understand what HR trends mean to their business.

Privacy Policy Terms of Service
Copyright © 2021 SuccessFuel

WELCOME BACK!

Enter your username and password below to log in

Forget Your Username or Password?

Reset Password

Lost your password? Please enter your username or email address. You will receive a link to create a new password via email.

Log In

During your free trial, you can cancel at any time with a single click on your “Account” page.  It’s that easy.

Why do we need your credit card for a free trial?

We ask for your credit card to allow your subscription to continue should you decide to keep your membership beyond the free trial period.  This prevents any interruption of content access.

Your card will not be charged at any point during your 21 day free trial
and you may cancel at any time during your free trial.

preloader