Companies clamp down on social networking timewasters

A recent survey of 65 public sector companies suggests that businesses are clamping down on recreational Internet use during work hours. The nation’s social networking habit seems to be a particular problem with 5 million Brits now being regular users of Facebook. A recent report estimates that we spend around 143 minutes per month on the site, which is thought to cost businesses up to £130 million a day in lost productivity.

The survey’s results, which were made available via the Freedom of Information act, show that around 1,722 public sector employees were disciplined for misuse of email or the Internet. The companies polled included the Department of Work and Pensions, who reprimanded 313 employees for misusing the Internet, and the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) who actually dismissed 30 employees for the same reason. The MOJ defended their actions by stating that the sacked offenders had been in clear breach of their Internet procedures and in some cases, their equality and diversity guidelines. In the MOJ, personal Internet use is only allowed if sanctioned by a line manager.

However, Unions are warning companies to be less harsh on their employees. After all, they argue that many workplaces offer relatively few guidelines on Internet use, particularly social networking sites. A TUC spokesperson said: “Social networking at work is a recent problem and it’s growing at a phenomenal rate. But employers are often not setting a standard as to what level of Internet use is acceptable.”

Cary Cooper, a professor of organisational health and psychology at Lancaster University, also believes that many businesses are being overly harsh to their employees. He said: “Britain has some of the longest working hours in the developed world… It is natural for people to have to use work computers for organising their personal life.”

Source:

Guardian