Do You Search For New Jobs On Your Work PC?

According to a national poll conducted by job matching network OneShift, approximately half of Australian workers actively search for new jobs online during work hours. Of the 2659 people surveyed, one in 10 also admitted to getting caught in the act by a colleague or boss; to varying results. Do you think it’s acceptable to job hunt in the office or should it be a sacking offence? Discuss.

Computer peek picture from Shutterstock

If OneShift’s data is to be believed, it would seem that more and more Aussie workers are comfortable searching for new job opportunities on their work computers. This is odd when you consider that online activity is tracked in many workplaces. Are these people stupid or totally desperate?

“You’d think getting caught would be a fairly strong disincentive, but apparently not,” says OneShift CEO Gen George. “More than half of the people we asked openly admitted to looking for work on their bosses watch. To me, this suggests job-hunting while at work is becoming common practice.”

According to George, ready access to online job sites, fading company loyalties and a workplace acceptance towards personal browsing have all helped to exacerbate the trend.

“People no longer wait until the weekend to scan the employment section of the newspaper, circling jobs of interest with a big red marker. Job hunting is an activity you can now do at your own convenience — and clearly there are plenty of Australians who find it convenient to do so during work hours.”

We want to hear what our readers thing of this practice. Is it ethically dubious to search for employment opportunities when you’re on paid company time? Or is it unrealistic to restrict job hunts to weekends and the evenings? Tell us what you think in the comments.


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