Workers waste company time online

The British economy is losing billions through workers surfing the web when they're supposed to be working.

That's according to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) which has found UK workers spend an average of 90 minutes per week online on non-work-related tasks.

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Employers estimate 4.4 per cent of working time is lost this way - the equivalent to 10 days lost per year at a cost of £939 per employee.

The research - which covered 503 organisations - also found 60 per cent of employers think workers access the internet for personal use outside their lunchtime and formal breaks.

The CBI says while it's a perk to be able to use the internet for non-work activities, some companies have trouble with people abusing the privilege.

Around a third (32 per cent) of companies said they disciplined an employee for misuse of internet access during 2007, with 13 per cent dismissing someone for persistent misuse.

As a result, slightly more than half (54 per cent) of companies restrict online access at work with 14 per cent restricting it altogether. A quarter of companies have no limits at all.

John Cridland, deputy director general of the CBI, said many businesses feel as long as the work gets done there's no problem with personal internet use as it can actually boost productivity and morale.

But he warned companies need to be aware of the issue as staff spending too much time online or downloading unsuitable material could put a company's reputation at risk.

Separate research from web monitoring group Nielsen Online, found people are spending four per cent more time using the internet compared to a year ago.

The research also found there has been an increase in time spent on user generated content and search but a decrease in communication (such as instant messaging) and content sites (such as government and ISPs).