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A range of surveys show the average worker spends up to four hours online shopping at work, and business could lose anywhere from 34-38 percent of their productivity in the few weeks before a holiday.
Tis the season for online shopping and organizations have the Scrooge-like task of trying to keep workers productive while online sales beckon.
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( 23% )
According to a survey from Chicago-based CareerBuilder, half of American workers plan to spend time holiday shopping online at work this season.
And, of those workers, about one-third (34 percent) say they will spend one hour or more shopping (up from 27 percent in 2010) and 16 percent will spend two or more hours (up from 13 percent in 2010).
Most companies assume their employees use some of their break time for shopping on the Internet, checking social networks and other general browsing, but when it starts adding up, workers need to be aware of company policies and any potential consequences," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder
In survey by Accountemps, a California staffing services firm, 34 percent of senior managers found their employees to be "somewhat" or "much less" productive the week before a major holiday. The poll was based on phone interviews with more than 1,000 senior managers at companies
A similar study-- and this one is more about the weeks before Christmas -- found output could drop by as much as 38% as staff are distracted by shopping, planning for holidays.
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from Robert Half International:
Workers looking for a jump-start on their holiday gift lists will have a harder time browsing for bargains at the office. The majority (60 percent) of chief information officers (CIOs) interviewed by Robert Half Technology said their companies block access to online shopping sites – up from 48 percent last year. Another 23 percent said they allow access but monitor activity for excessive use.
The CIOs whose firms allow online shopping said they expect employees to spend four hours per week, on average, surfing for deals this holiday season.
| CIOs were asked, "What is your company's policy regarding employees shopping online while at work?" | |||
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2010 |
2011 |
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Block access to online shopping sites |
48% |
60% |
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Allow access but monitor for excessive use |
34% |
23% |
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Allow unrestricted access |
14% |
13% |
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Other/don't know |
4% |
4% |
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Total |
100% |
100% |
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"With an increasing number of firms blocking access to shopping sites, many employees may turn to mobile devices to shop at the office,"
-- John Reed, executive director of Robert Half Technology."
Therefore, his company offers four tips to help professionals avoid getting on their company's "naughty list" this holiday season:
Play by the rules. If your employer allows shopping at work, know your company's policy, including sites or hours to avoid, before searching for deals online.
Buy rather than browse. A liberal computer use policy is no excuse to spend the day filling your shopping cart. If your company allows occasional online buying, limit your activity to quick transactions.
Don't get stuck on your Smartphone. Mobile devices can make it easy to get around a strict online shopping policy, but I always put work first, even on Cyber Monday.
Exercise caution. Any offer that looks too good to be true probably is. Avoid links or sites that could infect your company's network with phishing attacks or viruses.