Third of office staff 'have watched porn at work'

A third of office workers in the UK admit to having watched pornography on their computer at work, new research showed today.

Most of the 33 per cent who confessed to viewing inappropriate material at their desk seemed to be getting away with it too, as only 7 per cent said they had been caught in the act.

More than half (56 per cent) of the office workers questioned admitted to having returned to work drunk from a lunchtime pub session, while 59 per cent said they had been taken ill in the office due to a hangover.

Many had even put drinking before work duties, with 31 per cent having cancelled or failed to show up for a meeting because they were in the pub, according to the survey carried out by email security provider Proofpoint.

Office romance meanwhile proved to be alive and well, with 62 per cent of respondents saying they had had a fling with a colleague.

But romance, porn and alcohol did not appear to be stimulating enough for the 28 per cent who admitted to falling asleep at their desk.

Meanwhile, 54 per cent of staff said they had committed the error of hitting "reply all" on a company-wide email when their response was anything but safe for general consumption.

A quarter of respondents said they had accidentally emailed a colleague with saucy comments intended for a lover.

David Stanley, Proofpoint's UK managing director, said: "A real crossover in the digital realm between personal and professional lives means staff are increasingly relaxed in their use of workplace email and internet.

"Working longer hours and therefore using these technologies more to stay in touch with friends and family can only heighten the risk."

* The research was based on 400 responses from UK office workers.