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Outsmarting Work: Smartphones Costing Companies

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) – Smartphones are hard-wired into our lives, both personal and professional.

But fresh research from CareerBuilder shows most employers believe they're losing two hours each workday per employee because of smartphones.

Lost productivity isn't the only problem.

The survey, which was done by Harris Poll for CareerBuilder earlier this year, shows smartphone time has a negative effect on clients and customers, compromises quality, gets in the way of deadlines and hurts morale when other workers have to pick up the slack.

Most important, the phone habit may be cutting into revenues by as much as 26 percent.

The survey showed that most employers have taken steps to address the problem, including blocking some websites and banning personal cellphone use.

More than 80 percent of workers have smartphones, and almost all of those workers keep their screens where they can see them at work.

Employers surveyed put cellphones and texting at the top of a list of time-wasters, followed by Internet, gossip and social media.

E-mail also made the top 10.

Some people say they often use smartphones for work, but then get distracted.

"When I check a Facebook message from work, I then find myself checking all my other Facebook messages," said teacher Laura Gerlach.

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