The holiday season is here, and the shopping must get done, but most workers say they will avoid the temptation of shopping online while at work, according to a survey out Monday.
Nearly one-third of workers surveyed by the staffing firm Randstad said the biggest work-related mistake you can make during the holiday season is to do holiday shopping on company time.
The vast majority said they will limit their holiday gift buying, online or otherwise, to non-work hours, although about a quarter those surveyed said they planned to engage in online shopping during work hours. The survey of about 1,000 workers was conducted a few weeks ago.
In a separate survey by staffing firm Adecco, only 14 percent said they plan to do any online shopping during work hours. That survey of about 1,000 people was conducted in mid-November.
The recession and recovery has left many workers working harder – in some cases for less money – and nervous about job security. That could be mean they are are anxious about the possible consequences of spending any work time on non-work activities, such as shopping. Or perhaps they simply don’t have the time.
Still, it's somewhat surprising. For years, the idea that people would indulge in a little online shopping during work hours was so ingrained that it even got its own day: Cyber Monday, the first work day after the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
These days, however, many more people have high-speed Internet and computers at home. Online retailers also have started promoting virtual sales long before that Monday, with some encouraging shoppers to hop online on Thanksgiving evening or even earlier.