HardlyWork.in spreads itself across the workplace

Workers’ constant battle to keep up with their Facebook friends while at work – without being sprung by their boss – may soon be a thing of the past, with the launch of a Facebook-inspired spreadsheet.

A website developed by a university student allows workers to automatically convert their Facebook news feeds into an Excel spreadsheet.

It means that if their boss does peer over their shoulder while they’re engaged in their online social life, it looks like they’re doing some serious number-crunching.

Users can instantly see what their friends up are to on Facebook, with updates appearing as new spreadsheet rows.

Uploaded pictures and videos can be viewed by hovering over the entries, and users can interact by “liking” the updates with a simple click on the spreadsheet.

The HardlyWork.in site was created by Yale computer science major Bay Gross after a friend doing an internship told him she had to wait until after work to read his Facebook updates.

The site has been very well received since its launch, attracting 10,000 unique visitors a day, suggesting other start-ups could develop similar “tools” for the workplace.