Found this while browsing today. We are always talking about this very subject at work so I thought I would provide a little professional insight to the topic. I have no doubt my opinion is irrelevant but nonetheless…the article is interesting.
Pulled from CNET.com news.
Here’s some good news that you should forward to your boss. A study conducted in Australia found that people who engage in “Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing” (WILB) are more productive than those who don’t. Workers who “surf the Internet for fun at work–within a reasonable limit of less than 20 percent of their total time in the office–are more productive by about 9 percent,” according to the study’s author, Professor Brent Coker, from the University of Melbourne’s Department of Management and Marketing.
Professor Brent Coker
(Credit: University of Melbourne)
The reason that “WILB” increases productivity, he said, is that “people need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration. Think back to when you were in class listening to a lecture–after about 20 minutes your concentration probably went right down, yet after a break your concentration was restored.”
A short break, such as surfing the Internet, “enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a day’s work, and as a result, increased productivity.”
But this doesn’t apply to everyone. Approximately 14 percent of the sample showed signs of Internet addiction and, for them, Web surfing can decrease productivity. The more they surfed at work, the less productive they were. The reason for this, he said, “is because of an ‘urge’ to search the Internet. “Those that aren’t addicted, don’t have this urge and they surf the Internet as a reward.”
The study found that 70% of the 300 workers surveyed engage in “WILB.” The report was released in Melbourne on April 2nd when it was still April 1st in the United States. In an email, Dr. Coker assured me that it’s not an April fools joke.
I’m not sure whether the result of this Australian study applies to workers in the U.S. and other countries, but I for one have a vested interest in believing what he says. If nothing else, it’s a great excuse, especially if your boss is giving you a hard time for “WILB.”
Food for thought at least, also only 15 more radiations left!!!!
Interesting indeed, I too believe that in moderation “WILB” is good. I have yet to see that moderation practiced without supervision or strict guidelines. Therefore answering the question of how relevant this study would be in the US, which in my opinion it is not. It seems to me that a similar attitude amongst many americans, is that of inflated self worth. An attitude of I only get paid $X.xx per hour so why should I work hard, show me the money and i’ll show you the productivity. This is a backwards way of thinking. I for one feel lucky to have a stable job doing something I love.I have always been a firm believer that one should get paid for how hard they work, not Work for how much they get paid. As far as “WILB” goes if it can be done in moderation (which it usually can’t), OK. There is also 14-16 hours of the day which that can be done. Hows that for a rant? Interesting article Sir.
Interesting response sir. Dually noted.
Would you go as far to say foreign labor is more productive because they have no internet access? Another interesting question indeed.