According to a recent Salary.com survey, 89% of American workers admit that they waste time at the office daily - up from only 69% last year. What's more, the amount of time spent performing these non-work related functions has also increased. The Houston Chronicle reports that 31% of workers say they waste 30 minutes daily, another 31% of workers say they waste about an hour a day, and the remaining 38% say that they waste 2 hours or more on activities such as browsing the internet and spending time on various social media networks.

The survey results indicate workers aged 26-32 are the biggest wasters of time, with 95% of this population reporting that they waste time each day. Half of those surveyed say they waste time because they believe that the short breaks actually increase productivity.

Office optimism has often been touted as an essential ingredient for workplace success, but a recent Fast Company article says that there is a great deal of value in pessimistic attitudes as well. Fast Company notes that while it can be hard to accommodate a pessimistic attitude, a not so cheery outlook can be critical in pointing out flaws and potentials dangers that can be avoided. Fast Company does warn, however, that while there is great value in pessimistic employees, constant negativity can pose its own set of problems. 

In a recent study conducted by the Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM), 70% of employers reported that March Madness and the various brackets and office pools that come along with it have a positive impact on relationship-building within their organization. CBS News recently reported that the benefits of following the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at work didn't stop there - 64% of employers surveyed indicated that the tournament promoted team-building, and 54% reported an increase in employee engagement.