Over 6 hours of office time is spent surfing online!

Are you idling away your time online when you should be working?

A new study in the UK has revealed that office workers spend the equivalent of almost one day a week surfing the Internet at work.

Workers are taking Internet breaks, rather than a traditional tea break, with newspaper websites, online shops and computer games among the main distractions.

These 'i-breaks' last an average of six hours and 23 minutes every week, according to the poll.

However, far from affecting their work, two-thirds of those polled believe their i-breaks leave them feeling more refreshed and better able to cope with their jobs.

John Miles, of gocompare.com, which conducted a poll of 3,000 office workers, said, "Brits are working longer hours than ever before, certainly longer than the rest of Europe, so this means they have

less time to do things at home."

"While we can't really excuse people using work computers to play computer games, it is understandable that things like online banking, shopping around for deals and food shopping sometimes have to be conducted during the day," the Scotsman quoted him as saying.

The poll showed workers log onto news websites for two hours and five minutes every week and also spend an hour and a quarter each week chatting on social networking sites.


Do you also agree with peoples' opinion that these 'i-breaks' refresh them and help them boost their efficiency? Share your thoughts on the message board below.

Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters