Surfing at work

NEW ZEALAND: Hey, are you at work? Yes, we’re talking to you!

A recent study from New Zealand claims that most people spend over 25 per cent of their online time at work doing personal things. What’s more, about 80 per cent of e-mails sent from the workplace are actually personal.

Although many bosses would disagree, this is not necessarily negative, says online security consultant Paul Hortop. “Is it more time-efficient to let staff do their banking online than having them leave the office for half an hour?” Hortop commented to the New Zealand Herald.

"Is it more efficient to let staff do their banking online?"

Hortop, who used information from his own investigations and a survey by online advertising provider Burst Media , says that people who misuse company resources for online activities are usually much more technically advanced than their bosses. “CIOs and CEOs are often a little distant from the technologies they are responsible for.”

As an example, Hortop notes that employees of one New Zealand company had illegally downloaded the latest Hellboy film before it appeared in the cinemas. “I’d be inclined to say Hellboy fits into that geek community where people are technology-literate and using peer-to-peer file sharing.” He added that bosses need to be more aware of the risks, since companies are likely to have legal problems if their employees illegally download films.