Survey Reveals Top Time Wasters At Work, And They're Exactly What You Expected

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Browsing the internet. Chatting with co-workers. Social media.

They're all top time wasters at work, according to a recent survey.

Robert Half Management Resources, a temping firm in the financial industry, says it conducted interviews with more than 2,000 Chief Financial Officers (CFOs) using a random sample of the top 20 U.S. markets.

According to the company, nearly 32% of those asked identified non-business web surfing – including social media use – as the biggest "brain drain" at work. Chatting with co-workers came in second, with 27% of the vote.

Surprisingly, some CFOs also felt meetings could be a complete waste of time. Eleven-percent of those polled felt they took time away from the work day, and that number jumped to 19% at large companies.

So, how to help the situation?

Robert Half's senior executive director Paul McDonald says that "If employees are spending too much time on non-work related tasks, identify why. They may have too little or too much on their plates. Find the right mix of assignments, and if they're feeling disengaged, give staff more exciting or challenging projects."

Of course, that's easier said than done.

To read about the survey, click here.