What exactly
is Internet misuse?
Internet
misuse is using work access to engage in any personal web behaviors while
continuing to appear like you were working.
An Overview
Internet
abuse and misuse in the workplace has become an increasing problem in
workplaces across the world. Employees are becoming less and less productive
due to the amount of time spent on the Internet surfing for information and
materials not related to their jobs, which in the end costs companies millions
of dollars each year.
In
order to show the impact of Internet misuse on companies here are some eye
opening statistics from www.staffmonitoring.com:
- “According to a survey by International Data Corp (IDC), 30 to 40% of Internet access is spent on non-work related browsing, and a staggering 60% of all online purchases are made during working hours.”
- “30-40% of lost productivity is accounted for by cyber-slacking.”
- “70% of all Internet porn traffic occurs during the nine-to-five workday.”
We
can see from just these few statistics that Internet misuse at work is a
serious problem for practically every organization. Our blog will explore the
impact of this misuse in depth, solutions that companies are taking to avoid
this problem, the drawbacks of those solutions, and many more issues relating
to Internet misuse.
Source:
I have quite a few friends who abuse the internet during their work schedule. It amazes me that their employers have not reprimanded their behavior. I am interested to read your blog to understand how companies are solving this issue.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I would like to be surprised by the amount of people who misuse the internet during work hours, I cannot say that I am shocked. I feel like it is mostly happening because of how distracting the internet can be. Say that someone goes online at work to check their email. They may then see side paneled advertisements that catch their eye. This can lead to research about the marketed items, blogging or using social networking to communicate about the items, and eventually a purchase. When surrounded by a distracting environment, it is easy to see how a harmless, everyday work task can twist into time theft.
ReplyDeleteI feel that companies need to crack down and possibly set up barriers on what they can and cannot search on the internet. By doing this, many would say that it is a right to privacy and that internet searching must not be restricted or monitored. However when it comes to the goals and rules set forth by a company, one should understand that internet misuse not only affects the user, but also the customers, fellow employees, and success of a company.