Thursday, July 21, 2005 | 8:35 a.m.
A recent online survey says the average American employee admits wasting about two hours each day at work.
Only two?
Slackers.
And according to the poll of 10,000 people who should have been working, Nevada workers are among the best at goofing off while on the clock.
Nevadans wasted an average 2.7 hours per eight-hour shift, which ranked fifth nationally in the poll conducted by www.salary.com and America Online. That amounts to an estimated $9.8 billion in squandered salaries annually.
Missouri workers ranked first, wasting 3.2 hours daily and $28.1 billion in salaries annually, meaning Show Me State workers could show us all a thing or two about goldbricking.
Or maybe they're just more truthful.
At the other end of the spectrum is South Carolina, where residents work hardest and admit wasting only 1.3 hours a day and $3 billion annually.
Suck-ups.
Human resource managers polled say they plan on employees piddling away 0.94 hours per day. Unofficially, the poll says, those same managers suspect the actual time wasted is more like 1.6 hours per day.
Optimistic lot.
So what, exactly, are we -- er, those other people -- doing at work instead of working?
The survey says 44.7 percent are surfing the Internet (answering online surveys).
Another 23 percent said they spend time socializing, while almost 7 percent conduct personal business. And nearly 4 percent said they spent time simply "spacing out."
Interestingly, 1.3 percent of those polled said they wasted time by applying for other jobs. (Applications no one at the other end is reading because they're in line at Starbucks.)
And the No. 1 reason workers say they waste time? Not enough to do (33 percent).
Wasting time at work is an acquired skill. Beginners merely rely on chatting with co-workers or cruising L.L. Bean's online catalog.
But it takes experience and creativity to make those chats seem work-related. This is best done in full view of -- or better yet, with the participation of -- the boss.
Supervisors will never notice what you are doing in plain view. They're too busy reading your e-mail.
The most fertile ground for success is the weekly staff infectio ... meeting.
Rather than remaining silent in hopes of keeping it short, talk.
A lot.
Comment on everything. Ask questions. Propose ideas and gradually change the subject. Master this skill, and you'll be discussing the British Open or last night's episode of "Desperate Housewives" right up until lunchtime.
The boss will walk out thinking you're interested in the company.
Co-workers eager to thank you and learn the technique will be falling all over themselves to pick up the lunch tab -- unless they're using their lunch "hour" to "run to the bank."
The boss will no longer feel the need to scan your online activity. And while co-workers waste work time idling in traffic in 116-degree heat, you can sit quietly at your desk and Google "Scooby-Doo trivia" in the comfort of a quiet, air-conditioned office.
If you're lucky you can find an online survey that will occupy the whole afternoon.
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