In New York and just about every where else in the world, it’s not a secret that everyone tries to sneak in a personal e-mail or some personal web surfing time when they are supposed to be working. There has been a new study that was conducted that will most likely shatter people’s perceptions about web surfers just being slackers who are trying to avoid work, which might not even be true!

According to a study co-authored by Ohio State University communications professor R. Kelly Garret, people use the internet at work because it helps them balance their life responsibilities as well as their jobs. These people feel that when their personal things are taken care of right away (sometimes at work) then they are better able to concentrate on their work.

Now the talk of installing filters to block worker’s access to web sites and e-mail services other than those that the person is supposed to be working on could backfire on the company and reduce job productivity as well as job satisfaction on the worker’s part, the researchers claimed.

This study on “cyberslacking” was based on an analysis of responses in a survey done over the phone of over 1,024 people during the summer of 2006. This study was then published in the issue of Cyber Psychology and Behavior Journal that June.

Apparently this study didn’t go much further than trying to gauge the different types of employees who use the internet for personal reasons while at work. Garret has stated that more research is needed to understand their motives and measure the effects of this on their productivity at work. These studies, say researchers, would help many companies figure out how to best deal with and control the personal use of the internet while working.

Source: MSNBC