A new study of workplace habits with regard to use of cyberspace debunks the notion that Web surfers are slackers shying away from work. The study, ''On Cyberslacking: Workplace status and personal Internet use at work,'' in fact asserts that everyone at the office does it – from senior managers to entry-level employees. It researchers suggest that management attempts to clamp down on Internet use may actually be missing the mark.

According to authors, R Kelly Garrett, Ph.D Ohio State University and James N Danziger, Ph.D. University of California, ''regression analyses demonstrate that, contrary to conventional wisdom, higher-status employees, as measured by occupation status, job autonomy, income, education, and gender, engage in significantly more frequent personal Internet use at work.''

According to the authors, many legitimate reasons may be at play in the use of Internet during office time for personal reasons. These would include balancing job and life responsibilities - by taking care of personal matters at work, employees can focus on the task at hand.

"It's appropriate to just avoid the knee-jerk response that all personal Internet use is detrimental," Garrett said.

According to the authors, installing filters to block access to Web sites and e-mail services could actually backfire by reducing job satisfaction and affect productivity.

The study on "cyberslacking," was based on statistical analyses of responses in a phone survey of 1,024 people and was published in the June issue of the CyberPsychology and Behavior journal.

Cyberslacking generally refers to office staff who use their work Internet access for personal reasons even as they maintain the appearance of working. It is also referred to as cyberloafing or cyberbludging, and can lead to inefficiency.

According to popular estimates, cyberslacking costs employers $1 billion a year in computer resources.

According to Garrett, more research was needed to determine motives and measure effects on productivity, which would then help companies understand how best to control and accommodate personal use.