On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Shopping Online During Conference Calls

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Shopping Online During Conference Calls Its always a little disconcerting to be speaking with someone on the phone about a business matter, and you hear this tap-tap-tap that you know means the person on the other end is checking e-mail. (OK, the reason you know this is because youve done it once or twice)But how would you feel to know that the person who is doing that sneaky e-mail check is not keeping up with the deluge of messages but really checking out the latest 50 Cent CD or buying that darling Coach purse or even ordering a refill of heartworm medicine for a pet?That kind of puts a different spin on things, doesnt it? I mean, theres one thing about checking e-mailbut shopping?According to a recent survey, some 12 million Americans shop online during business conference calls at least once in the last year and one million of them admit to being caught doing it.The reaction to being caught? They report being embarrassed but also to discussing the items they were purchasing and asking for second opinions.And, just in case some of you out there thought it was obviously women who were the biggest transgressors, consider this: The survey found more men were likely to engage in this behavior, as were college-educated, aged 35-54 and earning more than $50,000 a year. Further, 23 percent admitted that they had done it five or more times in the past year, and 12 percent admitted that they had done so 10 or more times in the past year.For those of you engaging in this behavior, stop it. Not only is it extremely rude to everyone else, it is just the sort of thing that ends up being put into your personnel file and pulled out for a performance evaluation or mentioned the next time you ask for a pay raise.Further, its embarrassing to your boss to try and explain why you would display such immature and selfish behavior (others are obviously not deserving of your time or attention if youve got to shop), but its a clear indication that youre wasting company resources and time. As more employees are fired for misusing company e-mail for personal use, do you honestly believe that your shopping forays during conference calls will be overlooked? Is so, maybe its time you started shopping for an job interview suit because youre going to need it. Save This Page