Study says cyberloafing decreases employee productivity

According to a new study, even the briefest amount of time spent surfing the internet could wreak havoc with career goals.

As reported by The Daily Mail, experts have coined a new term, cyberloafing, which means using time at work for personal interest. According to them, it is damaging people’s career trajectory.

The researchers say that using work time to shop online, flick through social media or generally go through the internet would be cyberloafing.

The research which was published in The Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace found that overuse of the internet during work hours is a hindrance of productivity.

The study asked participants to share their cyber use to assess how internet consumption affected their behaviour, which went on to reveal that surfing online news and online shopping were the greatest hindrance to employee’s productivity.

Lead researcher Matthew McCarter, professor of management at The University of Texas at San Antonio, told Science Daily that cyberloafing is one of the biggest concerns to company managers due to the financial loss caused each year.