Recently research has come to the surface showing that Internet in the workplace can actually increase productivity. That is personal use of the Internet in moderation. Taking a quick 15 minute break looking up a fun fact, something to do on the weekend or just plain surfing the Web it is said can encourage workers to get the job done. As I presented most of us belong to a newer generation of multi taskers. Listening to music or toggling between a few different screens actually increases our effectiveness during the work day. It also helps to ward off possible boredom when waiting on information from another department to complete your task. I also feel as if this helps to encourage innovation.
Personally, I feel when I keep myself busy and take a couple breaks here and there, especially when things like, "did I pay that bill?" pop into my head I like to have the ability to quickly put my mind at ease.
What do you think about this new research? And as a business owener how would you feel if an employee was still productive but took small breaks to cyberslack?
“Does Internet Use At Work Increase Employee Productivity?”Internet Misuse. Blogspot. April 1,
2012. May 28, 2012. <http://internetmisuses.blogspot.com/.>
If an employee is misusing the Internet by being on the Internet for long periods of time, then no, I do not believe it increases productivity in the workplace. This may be a hindrance because the projects the employee is supposed to be working on may be incorrect or not completed in a timely manner.
ReplyDeleteMost companies have the "bad" websites blocked. If an employee uses the Internet during breaks, makes a quick payment online, or takes a couple of minutes to research a fun fact, I believe this will increase workplace productivity because it breaks up the monotony of the work day and this should not be considered misuse of the Internet as it is unblocked websites.
I always do that when I'm studying for exams. I think it's good to take short break here and there to check your Facebook profile or email. But I don't think it would be a good idea to do that at work. I think it can reduce your work productivity.
ReplyDeleteI personally take frequent breaks between study sessions of 30 minutes- one hour long. Staring at words for long periods of time eventually will just confuse me, tkaing a break allows you to recharge and analyze what you have learned. You can truely master a subject when you can analyze it and think of applicable situations. Doing work or studying for incredible lengths of time personally makes me tired and thus lowers my ability to complete work.
ReplyDeleteI defenetly think is a good idea but to look at it as a onwer of a business I pay you to come to work I dont pay you to come and make sure that you are enternated when you come to work. If you are not on the clock and you are on your break you can use the internet do whatever you want but the moment you punch or clock back in I think that is crazy to let you employee get on the internet to surf the web and check what he or she wants.You are at work if you dont like your job quit and do something you like
ReplyDeleteI believe that when you're at work, you should do just that, WORK. However, during breaks if a employee uses the internet for personal reasons to put their mind at ease, or just to relax for those few minutes then I think that is ok. Misusing the internet while on the clock is not acceptable to me. The little bit of time you may have been surfing the web could have been used to become closer to a work related goal or issue.
ReplyDeleteI do not agree with this research. I would more likely oppose to this idea as a business owner. There would be breaks provided for employees that will allow them to cyberslack all they want, but definitely not during working hours. There has actually been research done to prove how it lowers productivity at work. According to IT research firm Gartner, american businesses lose about 40 percent productivity ear year due to internet misusage. A 37 percent of workers have said they constantly misuse the Internet at work, and 45 percent said it's their primary source of distraction. You have your free time to surf all you want, but during your job, specified tasks are asked of you, and focus is essential in order to do so.
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