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To print article, click Print on your browser's File menu. Go back Posted 7/12/2005 |
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Extra Missouri is No. 1 in slacking off at work Survey finds average U.S. worker spends two hours a day surfing the Web, running errands or staring into space. By MSN Money staff and wire reports A new survey suggests that were a nation of slackers -- worse at wasting time at work than even human resources professional suspected. According to an informally conducted poll, the average worker wastes more than two hours a day, not including lunch. Younger workers slack off more than older ones, and men and women waste about the same amount of time Although gender played no part in time wasting, geography loomed large. The No. 1 state for wasting time was Missouri, where workers who responded to the survey reported slacking off 3 hours and 12 minutes a day.
The top time-wasting states were: 3. Kentucky 2.8 hrs/day 4. Wisconsin 2.8 hrs/day 5. Nevada 2.7 hrs/dayThe survey didn't look at why Missouri is the worst in the nation. Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt was a little prickly. "Nobody can match the work ethic of Missourians. This survey, which our busiest citizens did not want to waste their time on, cannot undermine decades of experience. Missouri workers are among the most productive in the world." The Missouri Department of Economic Development said a study it published last year on the industries driving the state economy found Missouri employees hard at work. "It appears to me the Missouri worker is equal to, or slightly higher, in productivity than other workers across the nation in most of the industries (the Missouri study) looked at," said department spokeswoman Kristi Jamison. Great time-killers on MSN
Not enough to do The survey of visitors to America Online and Salary.com asked 10,044 respondents how much time they wasted in an average workday in a workweek consisting of five eight-hour days. Demographic information, including respondent geography, job category and gender was also collected. The poll found the workers' top excuses for wasting time nationwide were not enough work or inadequate for the work they do. More than 44% said the No. 1 way they waste time at work is personal Internet use, like reading e-mail, instant messages, playing interactive games -- and responding to online polls. The second most popular, according to 23% of respondents, was socializing with co-workers. Other excuses included conducting personal business, spacing out, running errands and making personal phone calls. The top time-wasting activities were:
2. Socializing with co-workers 23.4% 3. Conducting personal business 6.8% 4. Spacing out 3.9% 5. Running errands off-premises 0.1%
2. Underpaid for amount of work I do 23.4% 3. Co-workers distract me 14.7% 4. Not enough evening or weekend time 12.0% 5. Other 16.7% "Our survey results show that workers on average are wasting a little more than twice what their employers expect. That's a startling figure," said Bill Coleman, senior vice president at Salary.com. He noted that some of the wasted time could be considered helpful, however, as conversations and personal Internet use can lead to new business ideas. |
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