---
title: "Fewer Employers Block Online Shopping At Work"
id: "14537"
type: "post"
slug: "fewer-employers-block-online-shopping-at-work"
published_at: "2012-11-21T19:30:45+00:00"
modified_at: "2026-03-15T19:11:46+00:00"
url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/11/21/fewer-employers-block-online-shopping-at-work/"
markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2012/11/21/fewer-employers-block-online-shopping-at-work.md"
excerpt: "The percentage of employers blocking access to online shopping sites dropped by almost half from last year, according to a new study."
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  - "productivity"
  - "work policies"
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  - "C-Level"
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taxonomy_persona:
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---

[Home](https://associationsnow.com/)
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 » Fewer Employers Block Online Shopping At Work

As Cyber Monday approaches, many companies say they will be less strict about their employees shopping online during business hours this year, according to new research.

> [It] could lead to increased worker productivity because it would eliminate some of the time employees spend waiting in traffic or fighting holiday crowds.

The survey—developed by Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm—asked 1,400 CIOs across the country what their policy is for allowing employees to shop online at work. Only 33 percent said they block access to online shopping sites, compared to 60 percent in 2011.

“Many businesses acknowledge the need for flexibility during the hectic holiday season and allow some online shopping at work, within reason,” John Reed, senior executive director of Robert Half Technology, [said in a statement (opens in a new tab)](http://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2012/11/13/SF11128)
.

If staff members are allowed to chip away at their personal to-do lists at work, Reed added, that could lead to increased worker productivity because it would eliminate some of the time employees spend waiting in traffic or fighting holiday crowds.

Last year, 15 percent of employees used at least an hour of company time to shop online, according to [a study conducted (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1817-employees-shopping-work.html)
 by Ipswitch, Inc., and [it’s estimated that about half of Cyber Monday spending (opens in a new tab)](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/story/2011-11-28/cyber-monday-work-shopping/51450096/1)
 is done on work computers.

Despite fewer employers blocking online shopping, only 10 percent of surveyed CIOs are willing to give their employees unrestricted access to such sites, the Robert Half study found. The percentage of CIOs who give employees access to online shopping while monitoring for excessive use rose by more than half to 55 percent, up from 23 percent last year.

Does your association allow employees to shop online during business hours? What costs and benefits do you see?

(iStockPhoto/Thinkstock)

[Katie Bascuas](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/)

Katie Bascuas is a former associate editor at Associations Now in Washington, DC.

[More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/katie-bascuas/)

Tags: [#Business](https://associationsnow.com/tag/business/)
 [#online shopping](https://associationsnow.com/tag/online-shopping/)
 [#productivity](https://associationsnow.com/tag/productivity/)
 [#work policies](https://associationsnow.com/tag/work-policies/)

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