Smartphones not only dangerous to driving but your career as well

Using personal electronics can be illegal and downright dangerous while driving, but they're not much help when it comes to being productive at work, either.

A new CareerBuilder study found that 20 percent of employers think they're getting less than five hours of productivity out of their workers every 8 hour days, and they think smart phones are to blame.

Sampling 2,186 hiring managers and human resource professionals and 3,031 full-time workers, CareerBuilder found that 8 in 10 workers have smartphones and 82 percent of them keep them within eye contact at work.

Most workers don't think smartphones are hurting their productivity, but two-thirds say they use them several times a day while working.

Employers disagree, however, 55 percent of them placing cell phones and texting at the top of the list of productivity killers.

Other time-killers:

* Internet: 41 percent.

* Gossip: 39 percent

* Social media: 37 percent

* Co-workers dropping by: 27 percent

* Smoke breaks or sneak breaks: 27 percent

* Email: 26 percent

* Noisy co-workers: 20 percent

* Sitting in a cubicle: 9 percent.

Most workers don't have their work emails on their smart phones, and those who use them during work for non-work purposes include 65 percent personal messaging; 51 percent weather; 44 percent news, 24 percent each games and shopping; 12 percent traffic, 7 percent gossip, 6 percent sales, 4 percent adult sites, and 3 percent dating sites.

Three in four employers say two or more hours a day are lost because employees are distracted.

Lost productivity isn't just an annoyance, according to CareerBuilder. Employers cited negative consequences such as compromised quality of work, lower morale, negative boss/employee relationship, missed deadlines, lost revenue and negative impact on client relationships.

There's no shortage of creativity when it comes to using work time for non-work activities. Asked to name the most unusual things they have found employees doing on the job, they offered these examples:

* Working on a scrapbook

* Decorating a cubicle with chains of paper clips

* Making embroidery items for a craft show to sell

* Doing doughnuts in the parking lot in the snow

* Hiding a kitten in a purse

* Working on a child's school macaroni noodle project.

* Laying on a patient's bed talking to the patient while the patient sat in her wheelchair

* Watching YouTube videos of people shoving marshmallows in their mouth.

* Doing personal grooming in the break room

* Searching craigslist for dates

Whether employer, employee or a driver, the survey is a good reminder of the importance of disconnecting, unplugging and concentrating on the most important task at hand.

Read the original survey here.