E-mail, instant messaging, and blog-reading are costing the economy billions in lost productivity, new research finds.

As much as e-mail, instant messages, blogs and their brethren technologies have helped knowledge workers better collaborate, interruptions and duplications derived from these forms of digital communication and content are overwhelming workers to the point of distraction.

The result is an egregious lack of productivity that may cost the U.S. economy $588 billion a year, according to a report by Basex, which has tabbed information overload as the "Problem of the Year" for 2008.

Companies Considering Banning Social Networking Sites  

Workers who spend time on social networking web sites such as Facebook could be costing UK firms over US $250 million a day, a study has calculated. According to employment law firm Peninsula, 233 million hours are lost every month as a result of employees "wasting time" on social networking.

The study - based on a survey of 3,500 UK companies - has concluded that businesses need to take firm action on the use of social networks at work. Some firms have already banned employees from accessing Facebook and similar web sites.

Mike Huss, director of employment law at Peninsula, has called on all firms to block access to sites such as Facebook. He states: "Why should employers allow their workers to waste two hours a day on Facebook when they are being paid to do a job?" 

Dunamis Organization Services, in association with Teleos and The KNOW Network, has announced the Winners of the third annual Indonesian Most Admired Knowledge Enterprises (MAKE) study.

The 2007 Indonesian MAKE Winners are:

1. Unilever Indonesia (Consumer Goods)