• by Seana Mulcahy , December 13, 2004

As you are reading this you are most likely at work. Don't worry, it's probably okay. Your boss/company probably accepts the fact that you've opted in to industry newsletters and the like. However, are they happy that you e-mailing your significant other, kids, friends? Are they happy with you IMing? They know you've been working long hours but are they alright with you doing holiday shopping at work? Most likely not. But hell, you do it anyway.

BURST! Media just released a survey that hones in on 10,000 Internet users at work. I was surprised to see that most employees do not use it for even three hours of their workday. The percentage of U.S. employees using the Net for three or more hours while at work is 27.4 percent for males and females ages 18 to 24. For workers ages 25 to 34, 32.2 percent of males use the Web three or more hours per day, compared to 24.9 percent of females. Additionally, about one-fifth of all workers ages 45 and over use the Internet to this extent.

Reasons employees say they use the 'Net at work: To stay informed: 56%; Work hours are the best time to conduct their personal business online: 25.5%; Faster Internet connection at work than at home: 23.2%.

Activities: Sending e-mail or IMing a friend or family member 59.9%; Checking news 53.9%; Looking up the weather 41%; Product research 35.1%; Checked entertainment schedules 32.4%; Purchased a product 31.4%; Conducted online banking 30.9%; Looked up travel information 30.5%; Checked sports news/scores 26.6%; Looked up health information 26.3%; Made travel arrangements 21.2%; Sent online greeting cards 20.4%

If you are an employer, look on the bright side, it's not so bad. Additional findings show that employees don't spend a heck of a lot of time playing games, going to "adult" sites or downloading music. As you know, this often leads to viruses and spyware.

If you are an employee and you think you are not being watched, you are most likely wrong. Most U.S. companies employ a staff to monitor your activities on the Net. With the number of at work users at 50 million, employers tend to be aware.

Many companies approve wireless devices such as a Blackberry for executive management. According to NOP World, use of BlackBerrys or similar devices is higher among larger businesses. Only 13 percent of small businesses, those with less than 100 employees, use the devices. Among large businesses, those consisting of 1,000 or more employees, usage reaches 60 percent.

Companies tend to encourage the use of e-mail and IM for work. Siemens Business Group and META Group just released a study that found IM has had a noticeable impact on how employees carry out their work: 84% of Internet technology workers make fewer phone calls because of IM; 76% send fewer e-mails; 78% of these employees said that IM has made them more productive.

If you are an advertiser, these numbers have to make your eyes widen a bit. Online advertising is now a viable means of communication with a substantial base of at work users. Are you targeting this audience? Would you be willing to share success or failure? If so, post to the SPIN board. In the meantime I have some holiday shopping to do, e-mails to make, and IMs to send. --