New Work Routine: Come in. Grab Coffee. Go Through Email, Work on Project. Check Facebook.

Love it.  So this is what some employers're thinking should be your routine for the day.  Really.

 Check what?

 That's right.  A survey has found that "'homing from work' may be the key," according to smartplanet.com.  New research by digital media firm Captivate Network shows that "merging work and your personal life in office hours may be the best method to not only maintain a better work-life balance, but also increase productivity while you're at your desk."

 I remember trying to sneak onto msnbc.com (and yes, QVC, for the Today's Special Value, just might have that sheet set that I need), when I worked at a desk in an office.  Then employers switched to software that could track your every move so I had to stop.  (Strangely enough, working from home, I never check either!)

 smartplanet.com notes that the company compared answers given in a survey this year to one two years previously. As a result, "There was an 11 percent increase of workers that said they had a healthy life and work balance, despite an increase of 30 percent stating they worked over nine hours a day," the Web site reports.

What prompted the change? Almost every respondent said they completed personal tasks during the working day.

Online shopping, surfing the Web and running errands proved popular tasks to complete during office hours. But not everything was done online.  People also bought groceries or went to doctor appointments. And overall, they were much more satsified with their work life.

Is this for your company?  Only the top brass knows.  

Why is this? While we log longer and longer hours in the office, unless regular breaks are taken, concentration and productivity can suffer, many studies have found. Allowing everyone -- not just the
execs -- to take a break provides more flexibility -- and satisfaction -- to the day. 

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