Almost a quarter of employees are planning to do their Christmas shopping from the comfort of their office chair this year.
According to a survey of 2,000 people carried out for content security company Clearswift by YouGov, 23 per cent of workers planned to use the internet at work to shop for Christmas presents this year.
The figure rose to 28 per cent for young professionals (18- to 29-year-olds), who are likely to be more technology savvy and more familiar with buying online.
Electronic greetings cards (e-cards) are also expected to be popular, with a quarter of respondents planning to use them to send Christmas greetings to colleagues, clients or friends.
However, the growing use of the internet may leave companies vulnerable to viruses and other malicious e-mail attachments – 13 per cent of respondents would open a Christmas e-card from an unknown sender.
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“We would encourage businesses to establish an internet usage policy, communicate this with their employees and then enforce the policy using content security tools,” said Clearswift chief executive David Guyatt.
“By restricting online shopping to lunch breaks or outside office hours, for example, businesses can ensure they maintain productivity without having to resort to draconian measures during the festive season.”
