Benefits November 14, 2002

Workers Spending More Time On The Net At Work

November 14, 2002 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Casual internet use at work may be costing American corporations $85 billion annually in lost productivity, according to internet management software company Websense, Inc.
Reported by

Seventy million American workers now have access to the Internet at work, and workers admit spending 1.5 hours a week visiting non-work related Web sites while in the office.   Taking this figure and multiplying it by the average US salary as reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Websense says that “cyberslacking” may be costing American business $85 billion annually.  

HR managers say this number is much higher, as workers may spend up to 8.3 hours per week visiting non-work related Web sites.

The US Department of Labor recently announced the number of hours workers spent at work during the second quarter fell at an annual rate of 2.5%.   Combined with increasing personal internet use, Websense says employers may have to come up with new methods to control worker productivity such as Internet controlling software or eliminating Internet access altogether.

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