Mixing business with pleasure has always been taboo.
But we’re not talking about starting a company with your friends.
Today’s pleasure (or poison) is pornography.
More specifically, watching porn at work. Who does it? And why do people do it? After all, it’s a huge risk. You’re putting your job on the line for a few seconds of pleasure. Can’t you just wait till you’re home?
It turns out there’s more to this than just self-gratification. Taking time out of your day to masturbate can increase productivity.
Obviously, there are glaring consequences of watching porn — we’ll dive into detail on those. Additionally, we’ll tell you what to do if you’ve been caught fapping off on company time.
Want to stop watching porn at work? If you answered yes, you’ve come to the right place.
Who Watches Porn at Work?
A global survey in 2018 from Sugarcookie found that 59% of people admitted to watching porn at work.
Shockingly, this included 74% of women surveyed — and only 59% of the men. Of these people, 18% were caught in the act.
Out of the group that admitted to watching porn at work, 26% said they only watch it once a month. On the extreme side, 4% watch it more than once a day.
So, how did they prefer to watch? 77% watched on their personal device, and
15% watched on a work device.
But not everyone is fapping under their desk or in the bathroom. The remaining 8% watched porn from home (on company time).
Research shows that when workers switch to working from home, traffic to porn sites increases. And it makes logical sense. Switching windows between email and porn is so much easier at home. You don’t have to worry about a co-worker peeking over your shoulder. And your network is private. The increase in porn use for those working from home is also due to isolation.
The Benefits of Watching Porn at Work
To understand why someone would watch porn at work — we need to take a look at the benefits.
You may have heard of Google installing sleep pods for staff who need a nap break. This makes perfect sense, right? Sleep recharges our batteries, reduces stress, and boosts creativity. It leads to more productive employees and more money for businesses.
But what about masturbation breaks?
Can a quick fap give us similar benefits?
Psychology lecturer Mark Sergeant at Nottingham Trent University suggested that masturbation breaks are great for increasing productivity.
He also says that employees who masturbate on the job are more likely to be self-motivated. When they finish a task, they can reward themselves with a self-gratification session.
A quick wank at work can also reduce stress, boost creativity, and increase focus.
Before you run to the bathroom to crank one out — know that masturbating at work is a slippery slope. It has consequences that can affect your livelihood if you’re not careful.
Consequences of Porn Use at Work
Watching porn at work has individual and collective consequences.
For individuals, it can be harmful to your professional reputation.
An example of this is losing your job. This nightmare became a reality for University of Miami professor John Peng Zhang.
While sharing his screen on a Zoom call, students noticed a bookmark for pornographic content in his browser. Shortly after, he was fired.
There was some controversy about his firing. Some argue that he shouldn’t have been fired because he didn’t do anything illegal. Misconduct such as this impacts other areas of life including the ability to find work in the future.
Collectively, porn consumption during work hours creates a toxic work environment.
Many porn “scripts” degrade women. Constant exposure to this type of content can lead you to mimic this behavior.
It’s common for porn use at work to affect the way you view your co-workers. Eventually, you may find yourself in inappropriate situations at work. This includes sexual harassment.
But the damage doesn’t stop there. Studies reveal that workplace porn use and unethical behavior are linked. This means that business profits will take a hit.
Another indication that your porn viewing has become problematic is when it starts affecting your personal life. An example of this is staying late at the office to catch up on work that was interrupted by porn.
Watching porn at work seems like a terrible idea given these consequences. Let’s look at why people do it despite the drawbacks.
Why the Risk?
Sexual thoughts are a regular part of any day. And they don’t stop when we go to work. But having sexual thoughts and acting on them are two different things. The latter is unacceptable at work.
But it still doesn’t answer the question…
Why would someone risk damaging their professional reputation for a quick porn fix?
57% of people that watched porn at work have also masturbated. Private bathrooms were the most common place to do the deed with 49% of people choosing this location. Surprisingly, 16% of people masturbated at their office desk with another 15% using an empty office or room.
But what about the other 43%? Here are a few reasons why people watch porn at work without masturbating:
- It’s a reward: Whenever a task is completed, or a sale is made, porn is used for celebrating a small win.
- Stress management: The office can be stressful, and people may turn to porn to relieve stress. They’ll also use it to offset a bad mood or regulate their emotions.
- The fear of getting caught: The thrill of getting caught while watching porn is one of the shocking reasons people watch porn at work.
- Boredom: Many workers may start to feel like a cog in the machine. If their job isn’t engaging, they’ll use porn to escape the mundanity.
You’re probably wondering, how much do people watch porn at work compared to at home?
2021 data from PornHub found that 10 pm to 1 am had the highest porn viewership. After this, 4 pm was the second most common time. This isn’t specific to a time zone, so we can safely assume that porn is being used to wrap up the workday.
What to Do if You’ve Been Caught
If you’ve been caught watching porn at work, it can be devastating.
Not only can you lose your job — your entire career is at risk. This is due to the allegations that can follow you after being caught.
Here’s how to run damage control in a situation like this:
If you’re addicted to porn and can prove this to your boss, they may allow you to keep your job. This is assuming that you’ll go to counseling or therapy to control your addiction.
Some work cultures are more tolerant. There is a growing acceptance of porn use at work. Instead of shunning porn at work, employers are more open to talking about its impact.
Porn use at work can be compared to having a glass of wine at lunch.
Of course, it’ll impact your work. But there’s the ability to control your alcohol consumption. When people start stashing bottles at their desks, it’s a sign of dysfunctional work habits. If your porn use becomes this problematic, you may want to consider quitting altogether.
How to Stop
Stopping yourself from watching porn at work isn’t much different than avoiding porn outside of work.
Earlier we discussed reasons for porn use at work. It’s usually a sign that something is missing. And if you’re only watching porn at work — ask yourself why. Is your work boring? Does it align with your values? On the extreme end, could you benefit from a career change?
If your work is too stressful, consider taking a vacation. You could also have a conversation with your boss to ease up your workload.
And if you need a reward for finishing a task, hit the break room for a snack. You could also head outside for some fresh air and stretch your body.
If you’re watching porn at work and at home, consider a more comprehensive solution. Compulsive porn use can easily take over your life. Stopping it in its tracks before it does irreversible damage is one of our goals at Mr. Mind Blowing.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are a few common questions about porn use from employers and workers alike. Let’s answer a few of them.
Can I get fired for watching porn at work?
Many companies have IT policies in place that ban access to porn. If you bypass the ban and get caught, you may be fired.
If you’re watching porn on your own device, it’s a bit more complicated. If you were caught watching in a private area, you’ll probably get a warning — but you’ll get fired if it happens again.
If you’re caught in a public area, you’re more likely to get fired on the spot.
For small companies, it depends more on the owner and work culture. For example, if your workplace is made up of all men, it might be more acceptable to watch porn in private, on your break.
What should I do if my employee is watching porn at work?
The key here is being proactive. Use a porn blocker and educate your employees on the company policies.
If your employee watches porn anyways, talk to them about their behavior. They need to know it’s unacceptable. Tell them you’ll be adding software to monitor their computer use (if you choose to).
Can I develop an addiction by watching porn at work?
Absolutely. The effect of porn use at work isn’t much different than using it at home from a neurological standpoint.
Here’s the porn use habit loop:
You’ll start with a trigger or “cue”. You may be bored at your desk, or maybe you’ve finished a meeting. Then comes the routine (which is your porn use). And finally, there’s the reward. It could be an escape from your boredom, or simply the dopamine spike you get from explicit content.
Your addiction will revolve around your work setting. Moreover, you’ll be strengthening neural pathways and becoming more addicted each time you go through the habit loop.
To make things worse, you’re doing it during a time when you’re supposed to be productive. Porn use at work is essentially killing your productivity.
Final Takeaway
If you’re an employee watching porn, ask yourself why. Are you bored or stressed? Maybe your porn use has gotten so bad that you can’t control yourself when you feel aroused?
If porn use is disrupting your work, it may be time to look for a solution. Your personal and career health can benefit greatly from quitting porn.
Also, be considerate of others. Your co-workers may feel uncomfortable if they find out you’re watching porn at work. If you’re masturbating at your desk, take the courtesy of moving to a private place before you open your browser.
If you’re a boss, it’s in your best interest to cultivate a porn-free workplace.
Take note of why your workers are watching porn. Many of them are bored, so you need to mentally stimulate them. Get them excited, and give them interesting projects to work on.
A number of your employees are also watching explicit material due to stress. Consider giving them more breaks. This will increase productivity and morale, and it makes for a healthier work environment.
