Office workers buying presents online from their desks could cost businesses more than £7bn in the run up to Christmas, warns the Employment Law Advisory Services.

Businesses should set guidelines for staff, says Peter Mooney of the Employment Law Advisory Services.

He says: "More and more people are turning to the internet either to buy presents, or to do a little window shopping. However, for many employers, every hour a member of staff spends looking for Christmas presents online is an hour they should have spent working."

The figures are based on employees spending half an hour every day shopping online or browsing for presents.