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Smart Phones Blamed For Wasting Time At Work

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A new survey looks at some of the reasons why employees waste time at work. Not surprisingly, smart phones are a big culprit.

Rick Ritter has the story.

Fingers typing on a keyboard is a sound often associated with someone hard at work but sometimes it's what you can't hear that's keeping people away from doing their jobs.

"Surfing the web," said one.

"Text," said another.

"Cell phone use," said a third.

A new survey from Careerbuilder.com found one in four workers admit to spending at least one hour a day on personal calls, emails or texts.

"I'm not at all surprised by it because I can say I'm guilty of spending a significant amount of time doing the same thing," said Michelle Mitchum.

Many employees say they also use company time to surf the web and check social media sites.

The survey also discovered some very unusual time wasters. One employee used the company printer to print an entire book off the Internet; another was caught in the bathroom shaving her legs.

But technology is one of the biggest time wasters.

"While technology has made our lives easier and more efficient, it is counterproductive in a way," said Jennifer Grasz, Careerbuilder.

Grasz says companies are taking action. Nearly three out of four surveyed say they've implemented measures like blocking websites, monitoring email and prohibiting personal calls. Employers say little distractions can add up to big losses in productivity.

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