Blame It On The Internet

from the if-you-need-a-reason dept

An official in a Malaysian state says 20 percent of its employees use government computers to surf the internet, and it's apparently one of the main causes of poor productivity there. It's always funny how employers -- anywhere in the world -- find it easier to just throw blame at something for workers' poor performance, rather than truly question the real causes. The internet isn't making these people slack off, and if they didn't have it, they'd spend their time reading magazines or taking coffee breaks or something. The internet's just a time-killer for these employees, and what's keeping them from doing their work is a lack of motivation, not the endless possibilities offered by a broadband connection and Google.
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  • identicon
    Roachmill, 24 Jan 2006 @ 12:06pm

    No Subject Given

    I don't know. I think I'd probably be working right now if I didn't have an internet connection. To passers-by it still looks like I'm working, doing anything else it would be obvious I wasn't

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Bigkid, 24 Jan 2006 @ 12:14pm

    Leave the internet be

    I know sometimes I don't feel like doing anything and I get tried of looking at the internet so I play card games or something. So it's not an internet thing its the person themself. If you dont feel like working, you are not going to work. Its that simple.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    LOCOBOX, 24 Jan 2006 @ 1:14pm

    No Subject Given

    Productivity lies on the hands of the IT department. They do what the boss say, if the boss says: "no web surfing", then that's that. There are tons of ways to filter content!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Tyshaun, 24 Jan 2006 @ 1:17pm

    Corporate Trust

    Well, the company can always throw more spyware on their boxes and pay people to monitor other peoples surfing. Seems like a waste of money though!

    Seems to me a more reasonale solution is to set up performance goals for people, if they are meeting the performance standards you set, who cares if they surf the web or not?

    This arguement is almost like why so many companies are still leary of telecommuniting. The bottom line really is if you don't trust your employees, get different ones.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      LOCOBOX, 24 Jan 2006 @ 2:09pm

      Re: Corporate Trust

      You have a point, I only go online for personal business whenever I don't have ANYTHING to do. I know most people in the agency where I work do probably 40-50% of work a day and the rest is either chitchat here and there, and online surfing.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    ?, 25 Jan 2006 @ 3:00am

    While I agree, for the most part....

    Bad employees will always be bad. But there do appear to be some good employees who may lack the self discipline to be productive when given too much freedom in the work place.

    I have been in places where fellow employes just surf the web all day, but were really quite good at their jobs before the access was granted to them. And when it gets taken away, many of them see the problem, and become good employees again (though some just completely failed).

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      Scott, 25 Jan 2006 @ 5:52am

      Re: While I agree, for the most part....

      You seem to not understand a "good" employ who can not focus on the job when there are distractions is not a good employee. I surf at work, but when it gets down to doing the job, the browser closes, the work gets done.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Guse, 25 Jan 2006 @ 6:29am

    internet

    I surf at work but I also work at work, when there is work to do. My job description states 40% is research. So I try to keep surfing work related, but then you start stretching your defination of work related and then it gets personal. Somedays when I have tons to do, internet is a break. Believe me please, I would much rather be working than surfing at work. That's why it's called work and that's why i'm here.

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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