Web surfing at work is 'restorative,' researchers say

Vivien K.G. Lim and Don J.Q. Chen aren't advocating you surf the Web at work; they just contend that doing so may actually make you more productive in the long run.

Lim, an associate business professor at National University of Singapore, and graduate student Chen presented that finding from their study, "Impact of Cyberloafing on Psychological Engagement," at the Academy of Management's annual meeting last week in San Antonio.

Just about everyone does check the Web at work for personal stuff, whether it's quick check of Facebook, or doing some fast online shopping, be it from a smartphone or work computer. (Whipping out your iPad at work might be too obvious, unless you're using one for work.)

Web surfing at work "serves an important restorative function," the researchers said, and employers should:

... recognize that blanket policies that prohibit all forms of personal Web usage are ineffective, and excessive monitoring is likely to be counterproductive. Instead, limited amount of personal Web use should be allowed, since it has salubrious impact on employees' productivity.

Most employers don't agree, and almost all major companies now have Web monitoring software in place to make sure workers aren't spending hours at porn, gambling or shopping sites — which some employees do, given the chance.

One thing that should be discouraged at work: Checking personal email accounts. Those seem to put employees in a "double bind," Lim and Chen said.

"First, the compelling need to reply to a received email impedes employees' psychological engagement by affecting their ability to concentrate. Second, when employees reply to these emails, they experience resource depletion, negative affect and workflow disruption."

— Via AllThingsD

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