The Web at Work: A Mixed Blessing

• Posted: Monday, October 06, 2008
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• Author: pradhana
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• Filed under: Miscellaneous

More productivity, more stress

Over one-quarter of US working adults surveyed use the Internet at work constantly, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

There is a correlation between heavy Web use at work, education and income, just as with Internet usage in general: Individuals who are well-educated and have high incomes are more likely to be heavy Internet users on the job.

So not only do many consumers have constant Internet access at work, they are a fairly attractive demographic. But some are starting to feel too connected.

"American workers have a love-hate relationship with technology," said Mary Madden, senior research specialist at Pew, in a statement. "Along with the benefits of increased connectivity comes a host of new issues into workers' lives. How do you strike a work-life balance when you are always reachable by the boss? What counts as overtime work when you are 'on the clock' at all hours? How much personal online browsing can you do while you are sitting in your cubicle?"

"Over time, workers have become more likely to check their e-mail outside of normal working hours, and many are expected to do so by their employer," added Sydney Jones, co-author of the Pew report.

Beta Research Corporation made the same finding in an AOL-commissioned June 2008 study it conducted with Survey Sampling. More than six out of 10 workers surveyed said they checked their work e-mail accounts at least once every weekend.

Read more - eMarketer

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