Next time your boss catches you reading Neatorama instead of what your job description specifies, tell him/her about this study from the University of Melbourne.
http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/5750/
(image credit: Flickr use Valerie Reneé)
Dr Brent Coker, from the Department of Management and Marketing, says that workers who engage in ‘Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing’ (WILB) are more productive than those who don’t.
“People who do surf the Internet for fun at work - within a reasonable limit of less than 20% of their total time in the office - are more productive by about 9% than those who don’t,” he says.
“Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that’s not always the case.”
http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/5750/
(image credit: Flickr use Valerie Reneé)
And no, we didn't sponsor the study ;)
I worked in the banking industry where production is well monitored. I witnessed an internet control solution implementation vs free browsing : it increased the production by 4%.
Alex, did Neatorama sponsored the study? ;)
The article didn't the actual study, so I couldn't be sure, but a survey such as this often fails to recognise the fact that both internet usage and productivity might be the result of a third factor. My guess would be age: younger people would both be more likely to use the internet and more likely to be familiar with the tchnology in the job. Maybe. As I say, I couldn't see the actual data or anything.