Can't eShop At Work Anymore
from the work-work-work dept
Yet another story about bosses trying to stop people from doing non-work related online activities at work. Apparently, many companies are trying to stop people from doing any online shopping while at work - even though studies have shown that most employees spend just a tiny amount of time doin so (1.5 hours a month). I still stand by the point I've made in the past - that if your employees are getting their work done, who cares if they spend a little time doing personal things? One approach, which actually makes some sense, is the guy who installed software that lets workers monitor themselves. It shows the worker how much time they spend on non-work related activities. The information doesn't go to the boss, but helps the employee self-regulated him or herself. Most companies that are doing something, though, are going for a full out ban or using blocking software. This plan could backfire, or course, because it makes less happy workers who may actually be less productive. Also, as they point out in the article letting employees shop online means they can stay at work longer, and don't have to rush out to the mall to buy a book at the end of the day.
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Why they have to worry
You gotta think like a lawyer as distasteful as they may be.
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Re: Why they have to worry
That's a good point--such firms should have billable and non-billable hours and actually have realistic requirements in terms of percentage of billable vs. non-billable. My current job is with a large company where my department bills other areas for our services, we're supposed to get 80% of our time as billable hours. I think that's reasonable-it still gives me time to do a few personal things (email, chit-chat, check out a few websites) along with the administrative & training stuff required for my job but not related to a project. Requiring over 90% of some one's hours to be billed is just asking for trouble.
I really think the idea of a tool for employees to self-monitor is a great idea. The vast majority of people are honest and will do the right thing. My perspective may be a bit skewd though, I happen to really love my job.
I do agree that keeping employees happy means they'll be more productive. However, I really think that very few companies do this--people in the position to do this (typically HR) really don't see the long-term, big picture. And it's not a matter of "if you don't like it, go work someplace else" because it's really the norm rather than the exception. I think most corporations succeed in spite of themselves.
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Re: Why they have to worry
However, if you're simply hired to do a job, no matter what your hours are, then it's a different story.
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Re: Why they have to worry
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Another leash from the MAN
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