Goofing Off Good for Office Productivity?
So, this isn’t ‘Internet Safety’ related per se… but it does have to do with social networking and another famous internet addiction/time waster – YouTube.
Basically, a study from Australia shows that being allowed to surf for pleasure at work increases productivity. Horse-sh*t. It might make workers happier, but overall, it’s nothing more than a distraction at work. I have worked in offices. I have seen what happens when someone finds something funny online or shares a few links with friends… you can get sidetracked for 15, 20, 60 minutes because someone sends you a new addictive game or a funny video. Don’t get me started on the hours (and employees I know who were fired as a result) of wasted time spent updating social networking pages.
Does is increase morale, sure. Being able to check your CrackBook page and tweet your face off is great and a healthy bonus (if you are that obsessed with yourself). But does it increase actual productivity? I don’t think so. How can you be productive … in the basic essence of PRODUCING WORK when you are busy goofing off online? I don’t buy the “zoning out” line (below).
Anyway… what do you think? Remember: I’m not saying that being able to browse freely online at work is a bad thing – I’m just saying I don’t believe it increases productivity.
That’s why I think bosses need to monitor computer usage of employees. Not spying, but being aware of how much time is spent doing what. If you have a worker that is supposed to be processing data and is only in the data applications for 60% of the day – what the hell?
That’s where our ThEO product will come in handy! The Efficient Office… details to come!
Apr 2, 2009
Facebook, YouTube at work make better employees: studyMELBOURNE (Reuters) – Caught Twittering or on Facebook at work? It’ll make you a better employee, according to an Australian study that shows surfing the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity.
The University of Melbourne study showed that people who use the Internet for personal reasons at work are about 9 percent more productive that those who do not.
Study author Brent Coker, from the department of management and marketing, said “workplace Internet leisure browsing,” or WILB, helped to sharpened workers’ concentration.
“People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration,” Coker said on the university’s website (www.unimelb.edu.au/)
“Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days’ work, and as a result, increased productivity,” he said.
According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work engage in WILB.
Among the most popular WILB activities are searching for information about products, reading online news sites, playing online games and watching videos on YouTube.
“Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping online under the pretence that it costs millions in lost productivity,” said Coker. “That’s not always the case.”
However, Coker said the study looked at people who browsed in moderation, or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office.
“Those who behave with Internet addiction tendencies will have a lower productivity than those without,” he said.