I’m Not Goofing Off; I’m Becoming More Productive

WebProNews shares the results of a new study from the University of Melbourne that shows employees who spend less than 20% of their office time browsing the Internet for fun are about nine percent more productive than those who don’t. “Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days work, and as a result, increased productivity,” says Dr. Brent Coker.

According to the study, 70% of people who use the Internet at work engage in what is known as Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing (WILB), including searching for product information, catching up with the news, playing online games, and watching YouTube.  Coker added, “Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that’s not always the case.” He noted, though, that the value of WILB is restricted to those employees who do not grapple with Internet addiction. For the latter group, WILB can actually have a negative effect on productivity.

Browsing for fun equals more work done? Sounds fabulous. I’ll take 20%.

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