Cyberloafing

Have you ever surfed the net, sent personal E-mail, maybe played games using the computer while you were at work and supposed to be working? If so, you have been cyberloafing (also called cyberslacking).

The loafing part of the word comes from the word loafer which basically means a person who spends time idly. The cyber part dates from around 1995 or so. Then, it was common to add the prefix cyber- to indicate anything normally done was also being done on a computer (e.g., cybercrime, etc.). In July 1995 the New York Daily News published an article by Toni Kamins called "Cyber-loafing: Does Employee Time Online Add Up to Net Losses?"

Cyberloafing has triggered companies to crack down on such use of company resources. Strict E-mail policies have been put in place and software installed to monitor network use. The reason? While many people are occasional cyberloafers, some people have been found to be holding down a second job during the time they should be working on the job they were hired to do.

Some cyberloafers attempt to justify their actions by saying they are bored or protesting this or that company policy but these are just excuses.

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