A poll (…) found that employees spend an average of 36 minutes a day — the equivalent of three hours a week — doing personal tasks at the office, anything from surfing the Internet to chatting with the babysitter.

Men were more likely to take a pause from their official work at the office. They admitted to spending an average 44 minutes a day on non-work related activities, 15 minutes more than the daily average for women.

There were also significant generational differences, with younger workers more prone to taking personal time during business hours. Respondents aged 18 to 34 estimated they spent an average of 45 minutes a day on personal pursuits at the office, compared with 32 minutes for those aged 35 to 64, and 17 minutes for workers over the age of 64.

The survey, released by staffing service OfficeTeam, was based on responses from 559 U.S. adults working full- or part-time in office environments, and 150 senior executives. (globeandmail.com)