WASHINGTON (WMAL) — Employees are more likely to be surfing the Internet in the workplace on Cyber Monday, looking for those online deals, says workplace expert Andy Challenger.

“Last year we saw an 8.5 percent increase in sales online during Cyber Monday and we can continue to expect to see that increase this year,” Challenger told WMAL.

He said it’s difficult to measure the loss in workplace productivity all that workplace-shopping translates into, but it certainly makes a dent.

“Every IT manager will attest to the fact that there is going to be a clog in workplace productivity, as people use their computers for activities that aren’t necessarily related to work–that takes up bandwidth,” he said.

And for employers who catch their employees shopping: let it go, Challenger says.

“Part of the world we live in today is that barriers between home life and work life have really started to dissolve. You’re expected to answer emails at 9:00 at night, first thing you do in the morning is check your phone,” he said. “So, while the work life is moving into the home space, employers have to be cognizant that more personal actives are going to take place in the work atmosphere. And that means allowing people to do some of their shopping on Amazon during the workday.”

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