Monster Poll Shows Personal Business Soars During the Holiday Season

Majority of Workers Also Indicate They Have No Plans to Give Their Boss a Holiday Gift

During the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, 44 percent of U.S. workers admit they spend at least one hour per workday on personal business, according to a recent Monster Meter poll. The Monster Meter, a product of Monster(R), the leading global online careers and recruitment resource and flagship brand of Monster Worldwide, Inc, is an ongoing series of online polls that gauge usersí opinions on a variety of topics relating to careers, the economy and the workplace. The survey also shows that 20 percent of workers spend at least three hours per day on personal business, which may include shopping online, running errands or party planning.

Ironically, workersí gift-giving spirit does not always extend to their boss, according to those who answered the poll question, Are you giving your boss a holiday gift this year? Only 19 percent of respondents indicate they plan to purchase a gift for their boss. This statistic remains consistent with the results of the same Monster Meter poll question asked four years ago in which 20 percent of respondents indicated that they planned to get their boss a holiday gift.(1) In both years, five percent indicated they would give a gift to their boss only if they received a gift from their boss first.

Monster Meter Poll Results
The Monster Meter asked, How much time at work are you spending on personal business this holiday season?(A)

56% said: Less than an hour a day.
17% said: 1 to 2 hours a day.
7% said: 2 to 3 hours a day.
20% said: More than 3 hours a day.
The Monster Meter asked, Are you giving your boss a holiday gift this year?(B)

19% said: Of course.
5% said: Only if my boss gives me one.
47% said: No chance. Iím spending my money on family and friends.
27% said: No job. No boss. No gift.
(A)The results of this Monster Meter are based on 11,873 votes cast by Monster users from December 5th to December 11th, 2005 on the Monster.com homepage.

(B)The results of this Monster Meter are based on 22,324 votes cast by Monster users from December 12th to December 18th, 2005 on the Monster.com homepage.

Only one vote per user is counted toward the final tabulation. Anyone interested in voting in Monsterís current online poll may do so by logging onto Monster at www.monster.com. These polls are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate.