Wasting time at work? You're not alone: survey
2 hours, 45 minutes ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans who feel bored and underpaid do work hard -- at surfing the Internet and catching up on gossip , according to a survey that found U.S. workers waste about 20 percent of their working day.
An online survey of 2,057 employees by online compensation company Salary.com found about six in every 10 workers admit to wasting time at work with the average employee wasting 1.7 hours of a typical 8.5 hour working day.
Personal Internet use topped the list as the leading time-wasting activity according to 34 percent of respondents, with 20.3 percent then listing socializing with co-workers and 17 percent conducting personal business as taking up time.
The reasons why people wasted time were varied with nearly 18 percent of respondents questioned by e-mail in June and July said boredom and not having enough to do was the main reason.
The second most popular reason for wasting time was having too long hours (13.9 percent), being underpaid (11.8 percent), and a lack of challenging work (11.1 percent).
"While a certain amount of wasted time is built into company salary structures, our research indicates that companies with a challenged and engaged workforce can expect more productivity in return," said Bill Coleman, chief compensation officer at Salary.com.
While the amount of time wasted at work seems high, Coleman said the numbers have improved, with the amount of time wasted dropping 19 percent since Salary.com conducted its first annual survey on slacking at work in 2005. Then workers reported wasting 2.09 hours of their working day.
"I think (the decline) is really a result of the economy and that there's more business, more work available and less time to sit around wondering what you are going to do with your day," Coleman told Reuters.
I think I waste more than that in time wise but never to get back at job - more boredom - put off what I could do because I can do it tomorrow, etc. and what would I do if I had ALL My work done -
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Money can't buy happiness but it can certainly rent it for a couple of hours.
lol me too. i work at a cell phone store, and sometimes the customers ask what we do all day when there aren't customers in - i lie and tell them i do training modules but really i play on gossip web sites and play internet games.
if i were either a) more valued b) wasn't forced to do busy work like tests and quizzes which a 5 year old could get 100 percent on c) was paid decently
i would probably feel a bit bad but i sure don't right now!
Waste time at work? You're not alone!
, according to a survey that found U.S. workers waste about 20 percent of their working day. 
cuz im underpaid y'all.
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