Time-out costs totted up

Staff carrying out personal tasks at work cost business billions of dollars a year, says an Australian study.

A survey of 5000 employees by recruitment company TMP Worldwide found personal errands done in work hours were costing Australian businesses A$6.1 billion ($7.5 billion) a year.

The general manager of TMP Worldwide Wellington eResourcing, Paul Jury, says those figures are applicable to New Zealand.

About 65 per cent of respondents admitted spending about an hour a week doing personal errands at work, ranging from paying bills to attending or making appointments. Some admitted spending up to three hours a week.

But Peter Tritt, advisory services manager for the Northern Employers and Manufacturers Association, says internet use at work has been the biggest problem for many companies.

"One estimate showed 40 per cent of staff down time was spent on the internet, particularly email."