STAFF who are allowed to surf the web during working hours are more productive, according to a PWC partner. Simon Perry (pictured), who is in charge of 100 Guernsey staff with internet access, said a flexible approach was best.
The Confederation of British Industry has published a report that claims office workers spend an average of an hour and a half of work time a week surfing the web – and it is costing the UK economy £10.6bn a year.
‘We had a strict policy that dictated staff could only surf the web outside certain hours or during their lunch breaks, but we found this to be counterproductive,’ said Mr Perry. ‘Our people don’t work regimented hours any more and tend to grab a sandwich when they need to. It could be at 4pm, so if they want to have a quick look at Hotmail then, that’s fine.’
The CBI survey of 503 firms across the country that together employ more than a million workers found that 60% of employers think staff regularly surf the web during work time. They estimate that 4.4% of working time is lost in this way, which equates to 95 minutes a week, or 10 days a year – an average annual cost of £939 per employee.
‘Our people are all professionals and we’re confident that they will do their work,’ said Mr Perry.
‘We’re not really bothered if they look at non-work sites from time to time. If you treat people like grown-ups you find that they behave appropriately.
‘I think employers these days need to be flexible and then they will get the best out of their staff. It’s definitely the way to go.’
According to the CBI report, 54% of firms restrict internet access at work, although the extent of the control varies widely.
Fourteen per cent deny access altogether while 15% have no limits on access.
‘Obviously some sites are banned, such as those with terrorist or pornographic content. That goes without saying,’ said Mr Perry.
‘We have technicians in place to monitor what people are doing on the web, if we were concerned.
‘Our staff are aware that we have that ability, but we have never had to run the report to find out if anyone has been taking advantage, touch wood.’
A third of firms have disciplined an employee for internet misuse during 2007 and 13% have taken action to sack a worker for persistent abuse.
White Knight PR MD Jim Delbridge said that he, like others, also favoured the ‘trust’ approach.
‘We are in the communications business and the internet is an important research tool for our industry.
‘It gets us closer to our clients, their competitors and the marketplace that they operate in.
‘All of our staff have unrestricted access to the web as a matter of course.
‘We recognise that there may be some Facebook activity, but we trust them to do their jobs properly and as long as they complete their tasks every day we don’t restrict their non-work related usage.’
Article posted on 14th July, 2008 - 2.30pm
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