In research by online recruitment company The IT Job Board, 50% of staff admitted they make personal phone calls, 61% send non-work emails and 59% chat to work colleagues. This compares with 80% in Belgium and 72% in The Netherlands.
Of those UK IT staff surveyed, 17% said they carried out personal tasks because they did not have enough work to do but almost one in 10 (8.8%) said it was because they were underpaid for the amount of work they do.
Nearly four out of five (79%) UK IT employers spend up to half an hour a day surfing the internet for personal reasons while at work (10% use Facebook and 40% use Hotmail or Yahoo). But 60% agreed companies should be able to manage or block access to certain websites.
IT staff spend a lot of time organising their personal life at work
Three quarters (76%) of UK IT professionals do not feel guilty about carrying out personal tasks while they are at work.
