Editorial

Wasted time

How workers spend their time on the job is a matter of considerable interest to employers who expect performance commensurate with their payroll and benefit costs.

So why are so many business owners and state officials scoffing at a poll showing Missouri workers waste more time than employees in any other state?

As Gov. Matt Blunt said in response to the poll results, busy Missouri workers "did not want to waste their time" taking the online survey conducted nationwide by America Online and Salary.com.

At the heart of the matter is what the poll considered to be "wasted time" and how the survey results match -- or don't match -- workers' achievements in meeting performance goals and standards.

Portions of the survey questioned how much time workers spent on the Internet while at work. Many businesses rely heavily on World Wide Web resources for communications and information in this era of instant everything, including instant access to customers, co-workers and managers.

The online survey results run counter to a report from the Missouri Department of Economic Development showing that Show Me employees are more productive than the national average.

Do workers in Missouri waste time? Sure they do, but not to the extent portrayed by news reports of the America Online/Salary.com survey.

Question: How much time do employees of America Online and Salary.com waste?

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