Web Use at Work Can Be Constructive, Study Says

[LadyLiliBean]

This article was sent to me by PMS Pucker Up. It's a good read! lol


NEW YORK (AP) -- It's no secret that people sneak in some personal e-mail and Web surfing when they're supposed to be working. Installing filters to block access to Web sites and e-mail services could backfire, the study says.

A new study attempts to shatter perceptions that these Web surfers are just slackers trying to avoid work.

In fact, it turns out everyone does it, from senior managers to entry-level employees -- and researchers figure that means management attempts to clamp down on Internet use may be missing the mark.

Many legitimate reasons may be at play, speculates R. Kelly Garrett, one of the study's authors and a communications professor at Ohio State University.

For instance, people may use the Web at work to help balance job and life responsibilities; with the personal matters taken care of from work, they can focus on the task at hand.

"It's appropriate to just avoid the knee-jerk response that all personal Internet use is detrimental," Garrett said.

Installing filters to block access to Web sites and e-mail services could backfire by reducing job satisfaction and thus productivity, researchers wrote.

The study on "cyberslacking," based on statistical analysis of responses in a phone survey of 1,024 people during the summer of 2006, was published in the June issue of the CyberPsychology and Behavior journal.

James N. Danziger, a professor at the Center for Research on Information Technology and Organizations at the University of California, Irvine, was Garrett's co-author.

The study didn't attempt to go much beyond trying to gauge the types of employees who use the Internet for personal reasons.

Garrett said more research is needed to determine motives and measure effects on productivity. Those studies, researchers say, would then help companies figure out how best to control and accommodate personal use.


Original Article: http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/06/18/c....ap/index.html

[Puck]

lol Nice one Beaner.... As I was working, I found this article

[PMS Slaughter]

This makes me laugh a little, since I am too at work and reading/respondng to this

I do think that sometimes you can get to invovled into what you are doing at work when you are online. I have been lack becuase of it, but also I think we need that little 5-10 min to do something other than the same thing for 8 hours straight.

Its all about balance.

[H2O D3V1L]

HA.. this describes everyone I know that works !!!

[ElFi PMS]

*makes sure boss isn't around before posting* We have a pretty advanced blocker here at work that blocks "gaming" sites and used to block sites that were considered social networking too, like myspace, facebook, LinkedIn, etc. So far the agents haven't classified the new pms site as gaming but it is only a matter of time before they block it. We all need breaks and distractions from work so I'm glad to see that someone recognizes that. Darn here comes my boss, gotta run.

[Draco88]

I am at work and they don't care if I am on the internet as long as my work gets done. I always have quite a bit of free time on the job since i work faster then the rest of my colleagues. The only thing that they have blocked is myspace which is still not that hard to get around.

[Jae Xun]

Word. It would be so easy to get into a work slump. It's especially frickin insane for desk jockeys like me. Imho (hehe.. Im-ho), it is superduper important to detach once in a while to keep a fresh mind to maintain efficient productivity.


Posted from work.. discretely.

[JeepChick PMS]

Speaking of all this. It would be nice if this site had a "Boss" Button.

It's a button that always stays up in the right hand corner. You can hit it really fast and it brings up a random looking excel spreadsheet. I've used one on other sites and it works really well! LOL

[Draco88]

I just use my email browser in a secondary tab. does the same thing. most people don't pay attention to the tabs that you have open.

[Jae Xun]

Dude, excellent job mentioning that cuz I'm a huge practitioner to the "muti-tab" tactic. I usually have 5-10 tabs open.

[Draco88]

I currently have 5 tabs open only 2 of them are work related.