MENLO PARK, Calif., Nov. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to surfing the Web for holiday gifts this season, most workers plan to browse on their own time, a new Accountemps survey shows. Nearly four out of five (77 percent) professionals surveyed said they are not planning to shop online while at work.

 

Those who said they will be hunting for holiday bargains during business hours are likely to spend less time doing it. Employees said they plan to shop online an average of 1.9 hours a week, down from 2.7 hours when the same question was asked in 2007.

 

The national survey is based on interviews with 455 workers 18 years of age or older and employed full or part time in an office environment. It was conducted by an independent research firm and developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

 

Workers were asked, "During the holiday season, will you shop online while at work?" Their responses:

 

Yes                                     21%
No                                      77%
Don't know/no answer                     2%
                                       ---
                                       100%

 

 

 

Those who answered "yes" also were asked, "On average, how many hours a week will you shop online at work for gifts during the holiday season?" The mean response was 1.9 hours.

 

"In the current economic climate, office workers by and large are maintaining their focus on their jobs," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Job Hunting For Dummies®, 2nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "Employees already have full plates, and shopping online at work may feel like a luxury they can't afford."

 

For those who do shop online from the office, Messmer cautioned, "While some companies look the other way when employees browse retail sites in moderation, online shopping is frequently against company policy. Workers need to familiarize themselves with their firm's rules on acceptable Internet use during business hours and follow these guidelines throughout the year."

 

Accountemps has more than 360 offices worldwide and offers online job search services at www.accountemps.com.

 

 

 

SOURCE Accountemps

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