Most Workers Think Their Colleagues Waste Time Each Workday Misusing Company ComputersMost Workers Think Their Colleagues Waste Time Each Workday Misusing Company Computers

Better look over your shoulder. A majority of workers think their colleagues waste time each day using company technology to shop online, e-mail, make personal phone calls, and play computer games, according to a new survey released on Tuesday.

Sixty-nine percent of U.S. workers say their fellow employees spend anywhere from less than 30 minutes to more than 2 hours each work day using their companies' technology for personal reasons, according to the 12th annual "Attitudes in American Workplace" poll conducted by Harris Interactive for the Marlin Company, a workplace communications firm.

Breaking down the figures: 27% think colleagues spend less than 30 minutes each workday goofing off online; 19% think it's more like 30 to 59 minutes each day; 13% think coworkers fritter away 60 to 89 minutes daily; 2% think co-staffers misuse 1-1/2 to under 2 hours each workday, and 8% think it's more than 2 hours. Only 15% think coworkers waste no time each day using technology at work, and 17% aren't sure.

Also, about one in three U.S. workers admit to purchasing products or services online while at work, according to the survey. Men and women were just about equally as likely to buy over the Web while on the job--33% of men and 34% of women admit shopping online during work hours.

Workers with higher incomes were more likely to admit they shopped online while at work. Forty-one percent of employees earning $75,000 a year or more said they shopped online while at work, compared with only 24% of workers earning $20,000 or less who admitted making such purchases.