Cyber-slacking days may be over 

The days of browsing your favourite websites from your PC at work may soon be over as employers crack down on the cyber-slackers who are costing them millions in lost productivity.

The internet is a fast and efficient way to buy and sell, check the latest scores, take a punt or even find a partner. But don't do it at the office.

It's costing your employer money and your boss is keeping a close eye on electronic time wasters who may end up out of a job.

Surfing non-work related sites on company time has become so widespread researchers have coined it cyber-slacking.

"A recent survey established about 40 percent of employees in America regularly engage in timewasting behaviour on the internet while at work and an even more recent survey suggested that the trend is growing and is also present in such places as New Zealand," says employment lawyer Andrew Scott-Howman.

It's an issue not just threatening jobs but also your business's entire IT network.

"Some internet sites are addictive and if several staff members go onto a website at the same time the information coming from it can overload the company's computer system," says Scott-Howman.

More than 700,000 browsers visited the Trade Me site last year - averaging 27 minutes on-line in company time. That adds up to 323,000 hours or almost 37 years in lost productivity.

While it might just take two seconds to go in and place a bid or to check a notification, if that's done 20 times a day those hours start to rack up.

Major corporates are trying to curb excessive usage of some sites, including Carter Holt Harvey's staff of 6,000 who are banned from accessing the auction site Trade Me from their work PCs.

Other employers are poised to follow suit.