How to Pretend You're Working While at Work

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With the advent of the Internet, studies show that workers spend a considerable amount of time online paying bills, reading the news, shopping and various other activities. Statistics show that employees spend more than 20% of their time using the Internet for personal reasons. Many employees have instituted polices that include monitoring Internet use and email and blocking employee access to sites using filtering software installed on the network. Even with these strong deterrents, most employees still find time to surf The Net on the company's dime. But employees have always found ways not to work while on the job, even before the Internet. And if you're one of the workers who wants to work less while you're at work, here are some other ways to do it. They're not all foolproof from detection, so try them at your own risk!

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Become one with the screen minimizing function on your computer. Since most people spend the majority of the time that they're not working surfing the Net, being able to toggle between say a screen where you're actually performing your job duties and another one featuring your favorite website is an invaluable skill.

Step2

Update your social networking page, watch streaming videos, pay bills online or catch up on some shopping. This is assuming your employer doesn't block these sites. Many employers use sophisticated Internet filters to block the sites their employees visit. The types of sites they block will depend on the type of software they use and the company's policy on particular sites.

Some are relatively lenient and only filter extreme sites like pornography and gambling. However, some employers block almost any sites that are not utilized for work purposes. Bummer!

Step3

Check email. Catch up on all of your personal correspondence with family and friends. Forward funny jokes and emails to friends and co-workers, but be very careful about what you forward when at work. Once you forward an email, you have no control over who it goes to and if it winds up in the wrong inbox, i.e., that of your boss, you could be in some real hot water.

Step4

Visit co-workers in other offices or cubicles and chat about your weekend, what you're doing later and the latest office gossip in hushed tones while staring at a computer screen or a type written document. If your boss approaches, speak a little louder about "the project," nod your head and appear to be in a productive, serious conversation about WORK.

Step5

Stare intently at something that looks productive--a piece of paper or your computer screen--while daydreaming about what you're going to watch on TV later or ideas for the great American novel.

Step6

Write the great American novel or work on some other project or hobby. If you like to write, blog or play games online, your job can be the perfect place to carry on you favorite pastime. However, as mentioned in step 2, be aware that not only do some employers filter which sites you can go to, some may also track the sites that you have visited.

Step7

Look for another job. This is another activity that can be completed discreetly online while appearing to be busy at work. Browse job websites, develop your job-winning resume and research employers. However, once again, proceed with caution. You definitely don't want your current employer to catch you looking for another job on their time.