Research company Vault.com Inc. released a study Wednesday that shows what many managers probably already suspect: employees surfing the Web at work aren’t always working.
The New York-based research company surveyed 451 employees and 670 employers, polling results on topics such as an employer’s right to monitor workers’ Web usage and the Internet’s effect on worker productivity. Workers tend to frequent the Internet for information quite distant from the work-related tasks their employers hope to promote, Vault.com concluded.
The number one reason workers go to the Web on a daily basis is to catch up on the day’s news, according to the survey. Based on the responses of workers surveyed, 72 per cent of users use the Internet for news, followed by 45 per cent making travel arrangements and 40 per cent trying to make online purchases.
While Vault.com did not reveal information on whether or not workers feel employers watch their Web activities too closely, company owners may find reason to stiffen their watchdog role. The fourth highest total – at 37 per cent – came from respondents who said they use the Web to find new jobs. Another 13 per cent of those surveyed use the Web to download music, while 11 per cent use it to play games.
Last but not least, four percent of workers actually find time during the day to check on their favorite porn sites.
Other responses included stock-checking (34 per cent), planning social events (28 per cent) , instant messaging (26 per cent) and visiting special interest sites (37 per cent).
Vault.com, based in New York, can be reached at http://www.vault.com/.