A study from the University of Melbourne found that employees who took short breaks to surf the internet or engage in social media like Facebook and YouTube were 9% more productive than those who did not. The study showed that brief, unobtrusive breaks allow the mind to rest and improve concentration over the full work day. However, the increased productivity was only seen in those who used the internet moderately and for less than 20% of their work time. Excessive or addictive internet use was found to decrease productivity.

1. Print Story: Facebook, Youtube at work make better employees - study on... http://in.news.yahoo.com/137/20090402/750/ttc-facebook-youtube-at-wo...
- -
Back to Story Help Print Story
Facebook, Youtube at work make better employees - study
HP Printers
Thu, Apr 2 03:06 PM
Caught Twittering or on Facebook at work? It'll make you a better employee, according to an
Australian study that shows surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases
productivity.
The University of Melbourne study showed that people who use the Internet for personal
reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive that those who do not.
Study author Brent Coker, from the department of management and marketing, said quot;workplace Internet leisure browsingquot;, or
WILB, helped to sharpened workers' concentration.
People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration,quot; Coker said on the university's website
(www.unimelb.edu.au/)
quot;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, he said.
According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work engage in WILB.
Among the most popular WILB activities are searching for information about products, reading online news sites, playing online
games and watching videos on YouTube.
quot;Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping
online under the pretence that it costs millions in lost productivity,quot; said Coker. quot;Thats not always the case.quot;
However, Coker said the study looked at people who browsed in moderation, or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent
of their total time in the office.
Those who behave with Internet addiction tendencies will have a lower productivity than those without,quot; he said.
Home National World Business Sports Technology Science Entertainment Lifestyle Most Popular
Copyright © Yahoo India Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Questions or Comments
Privacy Policy -Terms of Service - Copyright Notice
1 of 1 4/2/2009 6:12 PM