Web surfing at work can make you a better employee

Web browsing can actually improve your performance, reveals a new study titled "Impact of Cyber Loafing on Psychological Engagement," by Don J.Q. Chen and Vivien K.G Lim of the National University of Singapore. The study was presented in San Antonio, Texas, at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management, reports Rachel Emma Silverman of Wall Street Journal.

According to the study, Web browsing can refresh fatigued employees and improve their productivity compared to other activities like making personal calls, texts or emails.

Two studies were conducted by the researchers. In the first study, the researchers assigned 96 undergraduate management students into one of three groups named a "control group", a "rest-break" group and a "Web-surfing group". The subjects spent almost 20 minutes highlighting as many letters as they could find in a sample text. For the next 10 minutes, the control group was assigned another simple task. Members of the rest-break group could do whatever they pleased, except surf the Internet; and the third group could browse the Web. Afterwards, all of the subjects spent another 10 minutes highlighting more letters.

The researchers found that the Web-surfers were significantly more productive and effective at the tasks than those in the other two groups and reported lower levels of mental exhaustion, boredom and higher levels of engagement.

A web surfer emailed Dr.Vivien stating that whenever a person is browsing the internet, he tends to visit the sites of his choice which is similar to going for a snack or a coffee break. Unlikely, employees are unable to control the different kinds of emails they receive, therefore, reading and replying to each message is comparatively more tiring than casual web surfing, as in web surfing one needs to pay attention only on the contents of the email.

Web-surfing can actually support productivity, reveals the study. The researchers alert employers against over-restricting employees from Web access. They recommend that managers should allot time for limited personal Web browsing "since it has a salubrious impact on employees' productivity."