KEY POINTS:
Public servants are wasting at least 35,000 hours a year on auction website Trade Me - the equivalent to a year's work for more than 18 full-time staff
The figures, obtained under the Official Information Act by The Dominion Post, showed that the cost of lost productivity amounted to $1m based on average public sector hourly earnings.
The newspaper said that given that six of the 16 agencies surveyed either did not respond or were unable to measure time on the website, the figures were likely to be conservative.
Internet policies in the public sector vary, with some departments using software to block non-work-related sites, while others allow "reasonable" personal use.
Some government offices -- such as fisheries and benefit fraud investigators -- use Trade Me for legitimate work.
Of agencies that responded to the OIA request, the Justice Department was the worst offender with 3015 employees spending 1386 hours on Trade Me in August -- suggesting annual use of about 16,000 hours.
- NZPA
