Companies nationwide appear to be becoming more lenient when it comes to personal use of the Internet by employees.
A new survey reports that only 33 percent of employers now block their employees from shopping online during business hours at work, down from 60 percent just one year ago.
That said, more than half of those that allow access do monitor for excessive use, over double the number from the previous year, according to a new survey by Robert Half Technology of 1,400 executives across the country.
Only 10 percent said they allow unrestricted use of online shopping sites by employees. Interestingly, that figure decreased from 13 percent a year earlier.
The technology firm advised employees who go online to shop at work to be sure to know company policy, limit surfing to quick transactions and try to shop before or after work as much as possible. The key, the firm said, is to always put work first.