With Christmas only eight weeks away, many employees will be surfing the internet for Christmas presents while at work . This alone could cost businesses an estimated £7bn as staff fill their Christmas stockings and neglect their work, experts have warned.
Online sales are expected to top £9bn this Christmas. Figures show that more than two million people took up shopping on the internet in the past 12 months.
Employment Law Advisory Services (ELAS) said, "If the average worker spends half an hour a day shopping online, and is paid an average hourly wage of £12.50, UK employers could stand to lose almost £1bn a week in lost work time.
"With eight working weeks to go before Christmas, that could amount to almost £7.25bn in lost time."
Peter Mooney, head of consultancy at ELAS said, "More and more people are turning to the internet either to buy presents, or to do a little window shopping .
"But for many employers, every hour a member of staff spends looking for Christmas presents online is an hour they should have spent working.
"Even using rather conservative estimates, that could cost UK businesses billions between now and 25 December," Peter Mooney said.
ELAS advises employers to lay down rules for staff by setting out a specific internet policy .
"By outlining what is and what is not acceptable during work time, employers not only remind their staff not to abuse work systems, but give themselves a solid basis on which to take action whenever anyone oversteps the mark," said Mooney.
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