STAFF who are allowed to surf the web during working hours are more productive, according to a PWC partner. Simon Perry (pictured), who is in charge of 100 Guernsey staff with internet access, said a flexible approach was best.

The Confederation of British Industry has published a report that claims office workers spend an average of an hour and a half of work time a week surfing the web – and it is costing the UK economy £10.6bn a year.

‘We had a strict policy that dictated staff could only surf the web outside certain hours or during their lunch breaks, but we found this to be counterproductive,’ said Mr Perry. ‘Our people don’t work regimented hours any more and tend to grab a sandwich when they need to. It could be at 4pm, so if they want to have a quick look at Hotmail then, that’s fine.’

The CBI survey of 503 firms across the country that together employ more than a million workers found that 60% of employers think staff regularly surf the web during work time. They estimate that 4.4% of working time is lost in this way, which equates to 95 minutes a week, or 10 days a year – an average annual cost of £939 per employee.