Posted on: Monday, April 21, 2003

Office Internet users conscientious, study says

By Carol Kleiman
Chicago Tribune

Everyone knows that workers lounge around all day and while away the hours doing personal searches on the Internet. Or do they?

A national study of 501 workers shows workers really are conscientious.

American workers spend more of their personal time using the Internet to do office work at home than they do for personal purposes on the job, according to a 2002 national technology readiness survey. The survey was sponsored by the Center for e-Service at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business and by Rockbridge Associates Inc., a technology market research firm.

The study found that workers spend an average of 3.7 hours a week on personal online activities at work — and an average of 5.9 hours a week at home on work-related tasks.

Employees use the Internet at work for personal reasons, but "this study indicates workers more than make up for it at home," said Roland Rust, director of the Center for e-Service.