As the day was winding down at one of my freelance gigs, we spent a short break checking out the latest copy-rant on YouTube pleading with America to cut President Bush a break. It was just a few moments which provided a quick laugh – and then it was back to business.
But apparently those short dips into never-never land generally last a lot longer in the workplace. Various studies worldwide suggest employees spend about a fifth of their work day engaging in personal activities, (ie.) on the Internet. Apparently, cyberslacking rates pretty high on the list of offenses.
A recent study by on-line compensation firm Salary.com showed the U.S. employees surveyed admitted to wasting 20% of their time at work. About 34% of them listed personal Internet use as the leading time-waster at work.
There is a HUGE difference between wasting your mandated work time on personal ventures, and taking time for worklife balance or integration. It’s really a matter of principle, although one could argue that if an employer is not honoring its employees with appropriate break time in the workplace, perhaps one has to find a way to take that time.
Unfortunately, you have to take responsibility for making sure that alone -or lunch time – occurs. In a 24/7 world, that is easier said than done when your career involves working for someone else. I’m going to list some tips on how to make this happen for you in the coming week. Any ideas on how to approach your employer to let them know you’re burning out? Do share!
And for tips on worklife balance, click here to check out my WorkLife Minute which you can also find on my website, JudyMartinSpeaks.com
