British workers are inclined to shop online when they should be concentrating on their jobs, according to new research.
Broadband internet provider Pipex found that more than a third of British office workers have gone shopping online on their office computer while at work.
Planning and booking holidays was an even more popular surfing pastime when at work, with two-thirds of the 500 employees surveyed by Pipex admitting to arranging trips abroad from their office computer.
Others frequently make banking transactions and email friends and relatives, with one in ten actually getting online to look for another job whilst at work, the research found.
"The internet is increasingly being seen as a convenient and fast way of managing our day-to-day lives, whether at home or in the office," said Dominic Crolla, managing director of Pipex.
"We know spending online is on the up, so it's little wonder British workers are swapping window-shopping for workstation-shopping."
Shopping in the office could well be a way for employees to relieve work-related stress. A recent edition of the UK Employees Opinion Survey found that 46 per cent of workers find their workplace stressful, with just over a quarter (26 per cent) saying their health was suffering as a result.
Almost half of the 1,000 employees surveyed (46 per cent) also said that they found their workplace stressful, and a quarter would rather work part-time if they could.
Just over a quarter (26 per cent) also said they believed their health was suffering as a result of workplace-related stress.
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