Internet Addiction Affects Workplace Productivity
According to the Courant.com, David Greenfield, founder of The Center for Internet Behavior in West Hartford, has found Internet addiction to far outweigh the financial losses accrued by alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace.
Greenfield explains that in Connecticut alone, an estimated $11.8 billion (that would be billion with a 'b'), was paid in 2005 for work that was expected, but not performed.
Imagine the losses on a nation-wide scale.
And while Internet addiction may seem far-fetched to some, Greenfield goes on to discuss the kind of "withdrawals" that people have when they don't have access to the Internet anymore, as well as the negative effects such a habit can have on relationships, work, finances, and more. All of these issues point to a bona fide addiction.
Of course, there's also workplace liability to keep in mind, making the situation even more dangerous for employers. Last year, a New Jersey appellate court ruled that an employer could be held liable for damages as a result of an employee having uploaded child pornography from his work computer. This ruling could also be stretched to apply to adult pornography, sexual harassment cases, gambling in the workplace, and more.
On the flip side, allowing for no free Internet use at work has proven damaging to morale and difficult to enforce.
This is why the best answer to this situation is to allow for a small amount of free Internet time in the workplace, and to rely on computer monitoring software. When employees know that computer monitoring software is being used in the workplace, they spend much less time dawdling online, and avoid inappropriate materials altogether.
Awareness Tech's computer monitoring software program, WebWatcher, has garnered high praise for its Internet filters, as well as website recording, email recording, and chat recording software. It's also easy to install and easy to use.
It's the easiest and most economical way to protect the workplace from lost productivity and liability without creating an unpleasant or unforgiving workplace environment.
Greenfield explains that in Connecticut alone, an estimated $11.8 billion (that would be billion with a 'b'), was paid in 2005 for work that was expected, but not performed.
Imagine the losses on a nation-wide scale.
And while Internet addiction may seem far-fetched to some, Greenfield goes on to discuss the kind of "withdrawals" that people have when they don't have access to the Internet anymore, as well as the negative effects such a habit can have on relationships, work, finances, and more. All of these issues point to a bona fide addiction.
Of course, there's also workplace liability to keep in mind, making the situation even more dangerous for employers. Last year, a New Jersey appellate court ruled that an employer could be held liable for damages as a result of an employee having uploaded child pornography from his work computer. This ruling could also be stretched to apply to adult pornography, sexual harassment cases, gambling in the workplace, and more.
On the flip side, allowing for no free Internet use at work has proven damaging to morale and difficult to enforce.
This is why the best answer to this situation is to allow for a small amount of free Internet time in the workplace, and to rely on computer monitoring software. When employees know that computer monitoring software is being used in the workplace, they spend much less time dawdling online, and avoid inappropriate materials altogether.
Awareness Tech's computer monitoring software program, WebWatcher, has garnered high praise for its Internet filters, as well as website recording, email recording, and chat recording software. It's also easy to install and easy to use.
It's the easiest and most economical way to protect the workplace from lost productivity and liability without creating an unpleasant or unforgiving workplace environment.
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