Office staff 'wasting hours online'

A survey claims Irish office workers spend two hours and 20 minutes each day sending personal emails and surfing websites such as Facebook and Twitter, costing tens of millions of euros every year in lost work hours.According to the study by employment law firm Peninsula Ireland, 69% of bosses have had to warn their staff about spending too much time on the internet, not surprising after 92% of Irish workers questioned said they send personal emails at work.

A previous survey by Peninsula, carried out in September, found 69% of Irish employers questioned had already banned social networking sites, such as Facebook.In response to the results, Peninsula Ireland managing director Alan Price is urging managers to set clear guidelines on the use of internet and email, restricting personal internet use to lunch hours and breaks.

He said: "Employers need to get strict and make employees aware that personal emails must not interfere with the working day. "Putting a ban on all personal internet and email usage has been a tactic used by some employers but employees are seemingly ignoring these policies and continuing to use the internet whenever they want."