Up to 70% of workers shop online in the office

A study of workers commissioned in the UK by cashback site Quidco.com has revealed that workers spend nine days of their working year shopping online.

According to the research, workers spend an average of around $2500 during working hours every year, with the average worker spending 18 minutes per day spending their wages rather than earning them.

In the final two months of the calendar year, workers will spend an average total of two days doing their Christmas shopping online at work before December 25^th.

According to the study, employees admit to shopping for birthday presents, clothes and even holidays whilst at work.

Two in three workers said that they regularly shop or browse online in their office, with 16% claiming that they do so “all the time”.

For 46% of participants, there are days that they spend so much money whilst working that they effectively cancel out the wages they have earned.

The research also showed that 70% of participants immediately begin to browse or shop online whenever they are not busy at work, while 44% start browsing online as soon as they log onto their computer in the morning. Around half of the study’s participants admitted to opening up their favourite shopping website as soon as their boss isn’t watching.

The majority of the workers question attributed their online shopping during work time to boredom, with 25% claiming that it’s the only time they are able to do it. However, 15% said they do it because they simply do not want to have to do their work.

Researchers found that more than half of those planning to do their Christmas shopping online will do so at work this year.

“While many bosses may be happy to let their employees shop online during their lunch hour, they may be a little concerned to see how much of the time they pay their workers for is being used for tasks that aren’t strictly work-related,” said a spokesperson for Quidco.com. “And with the Christmas shopping period about to start, managers can expect their workers to be spending even more time browsing or buying while at work than usual.”

Have you ever caught an employee shopping online at work?