Number of Workplace Online Shoppers up Slightly

November 24, 2009 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – A third of employees polled in a recent survey said they will be hunting for online bargains during the upcoming holiday season while at work – up from 29% last year.

In general, according to a news release from CareerBuilder, 58% admitted they use the Internet in the office for non-work related activities. Twenty-one percent will typically spend an hour or more while at work on personal Internet matters.

“The Internet provides fast and convenient access to virtually any resources you need, but you want to make sure you’re leveraging those resources during personal time that is allotted to you during the workday, such as your lunch hour,” says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of Human Resources at CareerBuilder, in the news release.

CareerBuilder said 20% of employers reported having fired someone for using the Internet for non-work related activities, 5% have fired someone for holiday shopping online at work, and 50% block employees from accessing certain Web sites while at work.

Also, 48% of employers monitor either e-mail or instant messaging, and 8% say they have sacked someone for non-work e-mails.

The survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com between August 20 and September 9, 2009, among 3,163 hiring managers and human resource professionals (employed full-time; not self-employed; with at least significant involvement in hiring decisions; government and non-government) and 4,721 U.S. workers (employed full-time; not self-employed; government and non-government) ages 18 and over.

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