70% of UK workers admitted to shopping for Christmas presents online during work hours according to a new research by money saving website, VoucherCodes.co.uk. More shockingly, a fifth of the 3,000 people surveyed admitted to spending up to a staggering 10 hours a week searching and buying the perfect Christmas gifts online at work.

In the build-up to Christmas, businesses are set to lose a whopping £1.4 billion per week1 in lost wages as workers scout for Christmas presents during work hours from the comfort of the office. The survey revealed that Londoner’s are the most click-happy during office hours with over 75% admitting to browsing for Christmas gifts at the expense of their employer.

The survey also revealed that the average spend on Christmas presents this year will reach £367 with over half of those surveyed (53%) planning to tackle the majority of their shopping online. The effect of the recession is still evident with over half (55%) of those questioned planning to spend less on presents than they did last year.

Glaswegians are the most generous city over the festive period spending £518 on average on Christmas gifts. Residents of Chelmsford are thriftiest with those surveyed spending an average £264 on their presents.

Duncan Jennings, co-founder and Managing Director of VoucherCodes.co.uk commented on the findings; "It’s clear from the research results that many workers are already in Christmas shopping mode and are getting ready to snap up the best online bargains from the comfort of their desk. This is great news for retailers but not so good for employers who will lose valuable work hours from their employees."