During the holiday season nearly half of all workers admit to spending at least an hour of the working day on personal business, such as shopping online, party planning or running errands, a U.S poll has found.
The survey by recruitment firm Monster found 44 per cent of workers spent at least 60 minutes on personal business, with 20 per cent spending at least three hours a day.
The season of goodwill does not appear to extend to the U.S office either, as the vast majority of workers said they had no plans to give their boss a holiday gift.
Just 19 per cent said they planned to shell out on a gift, similar to the 20 per cent recorded in previous surveys.
In response, nearly half came out with a robust "no chance, I'm spending my money on family and friends".
However, if the boss got in there first and gave a gift, five per cent did, somewhat grudgingly, say they would reply in kind.
The survey appears to be at odds with attitudes on this side of the Atlantic, suggesting that bosses and workers have been more prepared to swap cards and gifts this Christmas than in previous years.