Workers' Facebook confession...
2007-11-16 14:48
London - It seems some workers are having trouble tearing themselves away from social networking site Facebook during office hours.
A survey by UK-based antivirus firm Sophos showed one in seven people spend their entire working day logged onto the site.
According to Facebook's own research, its active users usually spend an average of 20 minutes a day interacting with their "friends".
However, most newcomers to the networking phenomenon said they're addicted and spend far more than that interacting with their "friends" locally and globally.
Other studies worldwide have suggested employees spend about a fifth of their shifts engaging in personal activities and their time waster? The internet.
Patricia Wallace, author of the 2004 book The Internet In The Workplace: How New Technology Is Transforming Work, said employees have always found ways to avoid working too hard.
In August, South African companies started to follow their international counterparts in blocking workers' access to Facebook, citing concerns over productivity.
Facebook's usage has grown rapidly since last year, when the site opened membership to all internet users - its current worldwide audience sits at nearly 50 million active users.
The site has recently sold a 1.6% stake to Microsoft for $240m, spurning a competing offer from online search leader Google.