Is holiday shopping online okay at work?

• Position: The Internet - Brief article

Companies are becoming more lenient when it comes to letting employees shop online during business hours, shows a survey by Robert Half Technology, Menlo Park, Calif. Some 27% of chief information officers say their companies allow unrestricted access to shopping sites--an increase of 17 percentage points since 2012. Another 42% say they allow access, but monitor activity for excessive use. Thirty percent of chief information officers block access to online shopping sites.

"Employers recognize that some flexibility is needed to help workers successfully manage their time during the hectic holiday season," explains John Reed, senior executive director of Robert...