One of the biggest problems many businesses face today is that of cyberloafing. If you did not already know, cyberloafing is the term used to describe employees spending time recreationally on the internet when they should probably be working.
As you can imagine, so much time can be wasted in this way when employers do nothing to stop the problem in its tracks, and the end results are lower productivity, lower profits, and a company that is not as competitive as it should be.
If your employees have access to internet-enabled devices during working hours, it is a really good idea to look at what you can do to stop them from wasting time by cyberloafing quite so frequently.
With that in mind, here are a few things you can do to prevent cyberloafing in your business right now:
Draw up a policy
Having a policy that states in writing when it is and is not acceptable for employees to use the internet for personal stuff is really helpful as most staff will abide by any written policies, and if they don’t, you will have something in writing to tackle the policy.
You could restrict internet browsing to break times only, but some businesses find it easier to allot a time limit for browsing, after which the internet is blocked for individual users, so it is really up to you to work out what will work best in your organization.
Use filters and blockers
Something that can work quite well is making the internet less interesting by blocking the most commonly visited sites like Amazon and Twitter, or popular search terms for your staff demographic. Technology like Lenovo NetFilter for schools is good at blocking out a whole lot of websites that adults would be likely to visit, although you can get more business-specific software too. Talk to your tech team and see what they think would be the most helpful.
Schedule cyber breaks
If you want to be a more “fun” boss, then scheduling regular cyber breaks where the home team can have 10-15 minutes off work to check the football score or buy that new dress for the weekend can work well. It encourages people to hold off on the desire to browse until the team are all doing so, and it can be a surprisingly fun way to bond as you all chat about what you are looking up.
Don’t ban devices
One thing you should not do is ban devices completely. This can really zap staff morale and leave them feeling like naughty children. It is much better to let them have access to the internet at intervals that are pre-planned, and to filter out some of the more exciting websites so they do not end up getting too hooked, but take those phones away and they will rebel.
Cyberloafing could lose you hundreds, even thousands of hours of productivity each year, so it is vital that you get on top of it as soon as possible.
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