Another stupid study on employees misusing the bad, bad Internet

It's a US Statistic, but it might as well be correlated to Asian, or European workers, or employees elsewhere.

A study by America Online and Salary.com found that United States workers are goofing off for two hours a day, trawling the internet or jawing with co-workers, costing their employers US$759-billion a year.

Reasons mentioned personal internet use, including e-mail, instant messaging and chat rooms. Another 23% of those polled preferred running down the clock by socialising with co-workers.

So, is there anything that should be said thereabout? Of course. It is stupid. Employees are expected to be available 24/7, even during holidays, are under more work pressure than ever, companies downsize and so on and so on. Is it now expected to dedicate their whole life to the company? Not enough that there are plenty of controls anyway, but we shouldn't forget that employees are happier and more productive with the freedom to surf. Control only decreases productivity and hey - may be we are working while we play?

(By Asia Business Consulting)