Internet Misuse Costs Employers $63 Billion/Year

August 1, 2001 (PLANSPONSOR.com) ? If employees make personal use of their employers? Internet connections for just one hour per week, based on the average US salary, corporate America loses more than $63 billion annually in productivity, according Websense Inc.

The figure follows record-low productivity levels recently reported by the Department of Labor, showing that US output per hour fell at an annual rate of 1.2% in the first quarter of 2001, the biggest drop in eight years, with growth in work hours outpacing increases in output

It is estimated that over 57 million workers in the US have Internet access, yet, according to research group IDC, 40% of all employee Internet use is non-work-related.

However, recent research from the Center for Internet Studies shows that many employees are working longer hours and think it is necessary conduct some personal tasks from the workplace via the Internet.

In fact, 68.4% surveyed felt they should be allowed to access non-work-related Web sites during breaks, while 56.6% favored

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