One in Four Workers Job Hunt On Employers' Dime
March 22 2006 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Hudson Survey Finds Manager Supervision Effective at Curbing
Personal Internet Use NEW YORK, March 22 /PRNewswire/ --
One-quarter (23 percent) of U.S. workers who use a computer at work
admit to having searched for a new job on their companies' time and
resources, according to a new survey by Hudson. On top of that,
three in ten send and receive personal e-mails at work at least
most days, if not every day. Another 28 percent say they do so
occasionally. Most workers who use computers say their employers
know they use the Internet for personal business. In fact,
three-quarters of them believe their bosses are aware of how much
they use the Internet for non-work related activities, and half (48
percent) say their companies monitor their computer use. Of those
who believe their Internet use is screened, 74 percent report that
their companies have formal policies regarding e-mail and Web
usage. Interestingly, 26 percent of workers who believe their
Internet use is monitored have looked for new career opportunities
while at work. That figure drops to 21 percent for employees whose
managers know they use the Internet for non-work related tasks, and
jumps to 32 percent for workers who believe their manager is
unaware. "Employers should not discount the impact attentive
managers have on shaping workplace behavior and productivity,"
according to Kris Rzepkowski, Interactive Manager, Hudson North
America. "Corporate policies serve their purpose, but employees
respond best when those rules are a part of the day-to- day
interaction with their supervisors." However, managers are no
better than the rest of the work force when it comes to using the
Internet for personal matters. Not only have 24 percent of them
owned up to job hunting at work, but one-third send or receive
personal e-mails on the job at least most days, compared to 26
percent of non-managers. The survey also looked at how much time
workers spend each day online attending to personal matters,
whether or not they blog about their employers, if they know a
colleague who has been reprimanded for inappropriate computer use
and how frequently they check personal email, surf the Web, shop
online, and visit chat rooms/blogs. Data broken down by employer
type, company size, managerial status, gender, age and race is
available online at http://www.hudson-index.com/. Survey Highlights
All Workers Workers Workers Ages 18-29 Ages 50-64 Men Women Have
Job Searched at 23% 33% 15% 22% 24% Work Surf the Web for Personal
Reasons at 12% 20% 8% 14% 9% Least Most Days at Work Spend More
Than 30 Minutes Each Day on 6% 10% 4% 7% 5% Personal Matters Online
The Hudson Internet use survey is based on a national poll of 2,694
U.S. workers who use computers at work conducted March 11-13, 2006
and was compiled by Rasmussen Reports, LLC, an independent research
firm (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/). The margin of sampling
error for a survey based on this number of interviews is
approximately +/-3 percent with a 95 percent level of confidence. A
more detailed data report is available at
http://www.hudson-index.com/. Hudson, one of the world's leading
professional staffing, outsourcing and talent management solutions
providers, also publishes the Hudson Employment Index(SM), a
monthly measure of the U.S. work force's confidence in the
employment market. The next Hudson Employment Index will be
released on April 5. Hudson Hudson delivers specialized
professional staffing, outsourcing, and talent management solutions
worldwide. From single placements to total solutions, the firm
helps clients achieve greater organizational performance by
assessing, recruiting, developing and engaging the best and
brightest people for their businesses. Hudson is a division of
Hudson Highland Group, Inc. one of the world's leading professional
staffing, retained executive search and talent management solutions
providers. The company employs more than 3,800 professionals
serving clients and candidates in more than 20 countries through
its Hudson and Highland Partners businesses. More information is
available at http://www.hudson.com/. DATASOURCE: Hudson CONTACT:
Sarah Kafenstok of Hudson, +1-312-795-4202, ; or Emily Reed of
Ogilvy Public Relations, +1-312-397-6056, Web site:
http://www.hudson.com/ http://www.hudson-index.com/
Copyright