The online survey of 10,044 workers and managers was conducted by America Online and Salary.com in May and June. The survey suggests Nevada workers spend 2.7 hours per day doing nonwork-related activities.

The survey indicates companies are wasting $759 billion annually in wages because of the wasted time.

Tim Driver, senior vice president of consumer products of Salary.com, said the amount of money companies waste on workers was calculated based on the average hourly wage, $19.13 an hour, the number of American workers, 132 million, and the average amount of time a person wastes in a year, 299 hours, according to the survey.

Workers estimated they spend twice the amount of time managers estimated they waste in a day. Overall the survey found managers assume workers waste 0.94 hours in a day, while the average worker admits to wasting 2.09 hours.

Driver said the survey was not performed to make workplace commentaries on the amount of time workers waste.

"The main point of the study is (to show) there's a big gap between (2.09) and .94," Driver said.

"A lot of employers we talked to said they're not surprised. Most say, 'Wow, that's a lot of time wasted.' Their challenge is to examine whether it's excessive or about right.

"That challenge comes down to examining their workforce, what's the productivity they're expecting and how much of the lost productivity is a result of time wasted."

However, Driver said the survey suggests that managers expect a certain amount of work time to be spent in nonwork-related activities and that such activities can also be indirectly productive.

"As far as we've been able to establish, a certain amount of creative waste is acceptable," Driver said. "A lot of brainstorms can come out of social interactions between employees in the workplace. I think they're (employers) expecting it and accepting it and factoring it when they come up with pay philosophies and practices."

Driver said it is unclear why Nevada was ranked where it was.

Top time-wasting activities include surfing the Internet, socializing with workers, conducting personal business, spacing out, running errands off-premises, making personal phone calls, applying for other jobs, planning personal events and arriving late and leaving early.

The top excuses workers gave on the survey for wasting time include not having enough work to do, being underpaid, getting distracted by co-workers and not having enough evening or weekend time.

Driver said although there have been studies that show workers are now working longer hours, he said it's easier for them to waste some of that time because of technological advances such as the Internet.

"You can waste time nowadays with the Internet while looking like you're working," Driver said.

He said employers should take into consideration the top excuse given by workers for wasting time. He said some of the wasted time may be a part of the job because there isn't continuous work to be done. He also said managers should examine whether they're giving workers enough to do.

"Maybe the employer hasn't fully scheduled the capacity of the employees," Driver said. "It's not a commentary on employees in certain locations as much as a commentary on management."

Jeff Pyle, owner of the staffing agency Express Personnel Services, at 3663 E. Sunset Road in Las Vegas, said managers have some control over whether workers are motivated to waste time or not.

"I feel it's my fault if there is a lack of production," Pyle said. " (It's) knowing each person is an individual and how to get the most work out of that person. I think it's important that people know what's expected of them."

He said sometimes his five core staff members have nonwork-related conversations, but that it's not a bad thing.

"I think there's a certain amount of time where people interact and talk, and it's just part of work, and it's as important as having a 10-minute break twice a day," Pyle said. "Again when it gets excessive, it's a gray area "

Alana Roberts covers courts and labor relations for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached by e-mail at alanar@lasvegassun.com or at (702) 259-4059.