FAREHAM firm,Taylor Made Computer Solutions, says businesses should protect themselves against “time theft” by monitoring how much their staff use the worldwide web.

However, MD, Nigel Taylor, said staff monitoring should be kept at senior executive level and that it should not be left to members of the IT department.

“This is a task that should be fulfilled by the most trusted member of your management team,” he added.

Research by the IoD magazine, Director, last year showed that 80 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds accessed social networking sites at work, 63 per cent downloaded music at work and 58 per cent watched videos.

“For businesses already battling against recession, this is a serious issue as their levels of efficiency are being reduced at a time when they can least afford it,” said Mr Taylor.