Career Porn? Where Bored Workers Go Online
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CREDIT: Employee at laptop image via Shutterstock
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For a majority of employees the best place to look for a new job is their old one.
A study by talent and career management firm Right Management revealed that nearly three-quarters of employees explore job sites frequently, or at least occasionally, during the work day. Just 26 percent of those surveyed do so only rarely, or not at all.
Despite the high number of employees spending valuable work time looking for what else is available, Monika Morrow, senior vice president of career management for Right Management, doesn't believe it's cause for concern.
"No one ought to be surprised today that most employees are tuned into the various Internet job sites," Morrow said. "While the survey didn’t probe whether this might lower productivity, I suspect checking out job boards is no more distracting or time consuming than personal phone calls or dabbles on Facebook, and employers learned long ago to live with those."
Morrow believes scrutinizing job boards is just a way for employees to relax during their hectic days.
"People are under pressure, and nowadays many eat lunch at their desk and don’t even take all the vacation due them," she said "So investigating what jobs may be available elsewhere may be harmless."
With very few of these employees actually switching jobs, checking out job boards has turned into a way for many workers to learn more about industry trends and functions, according to Morrow.
“This is about staying informed," she said.
Employers should relax, however. Monitoring employees' every move may not be necessary. Morrow said those surfing job boards with the goal of finding new work that Internet searches alone will not find that position they long for.
"It remains true as before … the best source for new employment is through networking, both traditional and also by leveraging online social sites," Morrow said.
The study was based on surveys of nearly 400 workers in the United States and Canada.
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