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Cyberslacking Ticks Time Off the Workforce Clock
By Laura DL Bracken
Goldbricking. It's a term that was coined in 1879, long before the first routers came online. Today, goldbricking, also known as cyberslacking, has cost employers billions of dollars in lost time and productivity.
It's all about time. No matter what you call it, whether it be lost productivity, controlling labor costs, non-business activity, or just simply "surfing", the bottom line is still time. And with the heightening awareness of social networks, online holiday shopping, or even fantasy football leagues, cyberslacking has become a real concern in the workplace - especially since businesses could lose as much as $435 million a week during football season from employees playing fantasy football.
Now, let's compound that loss with other Internet activities performed during the workday. According to a February 2007 survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project, a Washington, D.C.-based research firm that collects data from real-world developments as they affect the virtual world, 83 percent of online users report searching the internet for personal interests; 72 percent read news updates; 35 percent play online games; 24 percent shop while at work. These numbers translate into hours of lost productivity.
Salary.com, an on-demand software company in Waltham, MA, found that as many as 60 percent of U.S. workers acknowledged they waste time at work. Thirty-four percent said that the Internet was the leading factor. With the average employee spending more than 75 minutes per day surfing for non-business related information, there is an estimated 40 percent loss in productivity.
In a Web@Work 2006 study by Websense, Inc., 93 percent of the respondents said they access the Internet at work, and those employees who access non-work related sites reported that they spend an average of 3.06 hours per week using the Internet for personal use.
To date, there aren't any studies that prove cyberslacking can be beneficial, even though it is believed that computer games can be beneficial for stress-relief - especially if the games require rational thinking rather than manual dexterity.
Intellectually, we know that workplace productivity is central to controlling labor costs. At the same time, we know that personal Internet usage is a way of life. In fact, in the 2006 Web@Work study, 50 percent of those polled said that they would rather give up their morning coffee than give up their ability to use the Internet for personal use at work.
So, what can be done about cyberslacking?
If you're an employee, it is important that you realize you are paid for the things you do for the company, not for those things you do for yourself. Consider this: would you pay a plumber an hourly wage if he came to your home, sat at your kitchen table, and played with your dog instead of fixing your sink?
If you're an employer, there are other options. First, there's the software approach where computer programs deter Internet misuse by blocking access to instant messaging programs or access to unsanctioned web sites.
Second, there's the restrict-all-personal-Internet-access approach, which would only allow IT personnel to install software on an employee's computer. However, this approach may decrease morale, causing productivity to plunge.
Third, there's the private-use-only approach, which would provide workers with a way to access the Internet during their lunch or break time. Computers would have an Internet content filtering system so that offensive websites are blocked from public online viewing, have limited software options, be completely separate from the company's intranet, and allow employees an opportunity to do their private surfing within a specific time frame.
Finally, there's the do-nothing approach. An August, 2007, TechDirt blog notes that the entire idea of cyberslacking ignores evidence that people who spend time surfing at work usually make the time up by being more productive while they are at work or by working from home at other times.
No matter which approach an employer takes, cyberslacking should be clearly defined so that employees understand company policies and businesses are protected from productivity loss.
Laura D.L. Bracken is the owner of Design Spike, Inc., a custom web development company.
It's all about time. No matter what you call it, whether it be lost productivity, controlling labor costs, non-business activity, or just simply "surfing", the bottom line is still time. And with the heightening awareness of social networks, online holiday shopping, or even fantasy football leagues, cyberslacking has become a real concern in the workplace - especially since businesses could lose as much as $435 million a week during football season from employees playing fantasy football.
Now, let's compound that loss with other Internet activities performed during the workday. According to a February 2007 survey by Pew Internet & American Life Project, a Washington, D.C.-based research firm that collects data from real-world developments as they affect the virtual world, 83 percent of online users report searching the internet for personal interests; 72 percent read news updates; 35 percent play online games; 24 percent shop while at work. These numbers translate into hours of lost productivity.
Salary.com, an on-demand software company in Waltham, MA, found that as many as 60 percent of U.S. workers acknowledged they waste time at work. Thirty-four percent said that the Internet was the leading factor. With the average employee spending more than 75 minutes per day surfing for non-business related information, there is an estimated 40 percent loss in productivity.
In a Web@Work 2006 study by Websense, Inc., 93 percent of the respondents said they access the Internet at work, and those employees who access non-work related sites reported that they spend an average of 3.06 hours per week using the Internet for personal use.
To date, there aren't any studies that prove cyberslacking can be beneficial, even though it is believed that computer games can be beneficial for stress-relief - especially if the games require rational thinking rather than manual dexterity.
Intellectually, we know that workplace productivity is central to controlling labor costs. At the same time, we know that personal Internet usage is a way of life. In fact, in the 2006 Web@Work study, 50 percent of those polled said that they would rather give up their morning coffee than give up their ability to use the Internet for personal use at work.
So, what can be done about cyberslacking?
If you're an employee, it is important that you realize you are paid for the things you do for the company, not for those things you do for yourself. Consider this: would you pay a plumber an hourly wage if he came to your home, sat at your kitchen table, and played with your dog instead of fixing your sink?
If you're an employer, there are other options. First, there's the software approach where computer programs deter Internet misuse by blocking access to instant messaging programs or access to unsanctioned web sites.
Second, there's the restrict-all-personal-Internet-access approach, which would only allow IT personnel to install software on an employee's computer. However, this approach may decrease morale, causing productivity to plunge.
Third, there's the private-use-only approach, which would provide workers with a way to access the Internet during their lunch or break time. Computers would have an Internet content filtering system so that offensive websites are blocked from public online viewing, have limited software options, be completely separate from the company's intranet, and allow employees an opportunity to do their private surfing within a specific time frame.
Finally, there's the do-nothing approach. An August, 2007, TechDirt blog notes that the entire idea of cyberslacking ignores evidence that people who spend time surfing at work usually make the time up by being more productive while they are at work or by working from home at other times.
No matter which approach an employer takes, cyberslacking should be clearly defined so that employees understand company policies and businesses are protected from productivity loss.
Laura D.L. Bracken is the owner of Design Spike, Inc., a custom web development company.
