So what if I spend a little time web surfing or checking my personal email while I’m at work. A little time here and there shouldn’t matter, right? Wrong. Internet misuse in the workplace has a real cost.
A 2005 study by Websense, Inc. (company specializing in web and email security) stated that Internet misuse cost U.S. companies $178 billion annually, about $5,000 an employee. Estimating that employees spend 5.9 hours a week at work using the Internet for personal matters. A little more than 13 percent of an 40 hour work week.
Fast forward eight years to 2013, companies now hedge some of the $187 billion annual cost by blocking websites that employees can go to, creating Internet usage polices and monitoring employees Internet use. These still cost the company time and money, but we will dive into these topics in the future.
Beyond the financial cost there can be damage to you and your companies reputation. In Australia, during a live TV interview of a banker at Macquarie (an investment bank) an employee is seen in the background viewing mostly nude girls on his computer. The person doesn’t know he is being filmed until the interview is almost over. At the point the damage was done and Macquarie suffered some embarrassment. The employee was not fired and he and the company apologized. Below is a clip on the news cast.
Fast forward eight years to 2013, companies now hedge some of the $187 billion annual cost by blocking websites that employees can go to, creating Internet usage polices and monitoring employees Internet use. These still cost the company time and money, but we will dive into these topics in the future.
Beyond the financial cost there can be damage to you and your companies reputation. In Australia, during a live TV interview of a banker at Macquarie (an investment bank) an employee is seen in the background viewing mostly nude girls on his computer. The person doesn’t know he is being filmed until the interview is almost over. At the point the damage was done and Macquarie suffered some embarrassment. The employee was not fired and he and the company apologized. Below is a clip on the news cast.
You can see, Internet misuse in the workplace does have an effect. It cost the companies time, money and sometimes damage its reputation. Consider this next time you think about spending a few minutes suffering the web at work. If you still choose to surf the web at work at least look behind you first.
This topic is also has a Yes and No answer to a difficult question. The internet is a powerful tool but it can and will be misused due to the nature of people. Yes it does cost companies money when employees spend most of their day doing personnel work or surfing on the internet. It can also cause companies embarrassment when employees that have no sense spend time on the internet, such as the guy in your video above.
ReplyDeleteNo the cost are outweighed by the benefits of employees gaining a new perspective from spending some time looking at something that easies their mind. This can allow employees time to get away from a difficult problem for a few minutes and return to it with a clearer view and a possible solution.
There needs to be a defined line of acceptance and un-acceptance, such as with the company I work with. They allow you to check your personnel email, bank account, and other minor things, but they expect your work to be done and rate you on your progress. In other words, if you spend too much time surfing and your work shows it there will be repercussions.
Just remember that someone is always walking around and looking over your shoulder work sampling.
Doug Carlson
I work as a graphic designer and spend several hours a week online looking for inspiration. To an outside observer I would look like I am wasting time, but I am working. Having said that, I do spend time checking my personal email and looking at news. This acceptable due to the culture of the company I work for.
DeleteSo yes you are correct, this is a difficult topic to make black and white. Overall I think that there is something to take away about ones actions at the workplace and how it might affect the company one works for.
In reading your article I began to wonder who has ownership of the emails sent during the period an employee is "on the clock" at work? Does an employee lose the intellectual property rights to the content of social emails or things posted on social networking sights? Would this apply to only those working at an hourly rate, and/or in the R&D section of a business?
ReplyDeleteBy Tom Cornell
I think it depends a great deal on the company and how they choose to approach it in their polices. This is an interesting topic that I hope to include in future posts.
DeleteIn my opinion, from a Human Resources stand point, email done "on the clock" during work hours IS considered to be company property - especially if done on a company computer. It stands to reason because it is being saved on the company server, all communications now serve as property of the company.
ReplyDeleteResearching internet/email polices of companies it seems to change from one to the other. Some companies have very strict internet/email usage polices while others are more relaxed. This is a topic that we will cover in more depth in the future.
DeleteYes!! That is the video I was referring to lol. I can only imagine how many people, expecially those behind closed office doors, are doing something a little too NSFW. Net filters at offices are pretty good, but there are many ways around this. Google "get around web filter" and there ya go. http://lifehacker.com/5469038/bypass-heavy+handed-web-filters-with-your-own-proxy-server
ReplyDelete