Cyberslacker

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who reduces their productivity at work by frequently engaging in non-work-related online activities that detract from their job tasks
2. An individual who diminishes their work efficiency by habitually indulging in online distractions unrelated to their professional duties
3. A worker who experiences a decline in productivity due to regular participation in internet activities that are not job-related

Etymology: "Cyberslacker" is a plain compound: "cyber-", the prefix drawn from "cybernetics" and used since the late twentieth century to mean "relating to computers or the internet", joined to "slacker", a word for someone who shirks work or avoids effort. Put together, the term describes someone who appears to be working at a computer while actually doing little, such as browsing for pleasure or idling on social media during office hours. The formation follows a familiar pattern. "Slacker" itself dates to the nineteenth century and grew from the older verb "slack", meaning loose or lazy, which came into English from Old English "slæc". Attaching "cyber-" to it marks the setting: the slacking happens in front of a screen rather than on a factory floor or in a shirking corner of the office.