Searching for a new job on your work PC?

It may sound ridiculous, but according to this lifehacker article a national poll showed that half of the 2659 Australian workers surveyed actively search for new jobs online during work hours. What’s worse still, is that one in 10 admitted to getting caught in the act.

As recruiters, these results leave us gobsmacked, with lots of unanswered questions. Why is this statistic so staggering? What factors influence those who’ve decided that it’s okay? Is it okay if they search on their work PC during their lunch break? Do they care about being caught? Is it pure desperation, or stupidity?

Consider the impacts of pressure, opportunity and rationalisation. If an employee was feeling pressure from management and felt that their time was limited, they might just take the opportunity with the PC in front of them to search for a new job. To them, the act would be rationalised by the fact that if caught, they’d be dismissed – and in their minds, it was going to happen anyway. Without company loyalty, boundaries disappear.

Some may say that access to social media at workstations has significantly impacted productivity. Perhaps this freedom has altered what we deem as appropriate use of our work computers. But with so many organisations tracking online activity nowadays, do people really think they won’t get caught? And when they do, what happens when they are searching for their next job? Interviewers often ask about weaknesses, but do you think anyone would actually admit this as a weakness during a job interview? We think not.

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