In this age of connection 24/7, information is everywhere. People are feeling more and more plugged in and the need to constantly be online is prevalent. This trend is being brought to work where the need to continually check on statuses, twitter feeds, posts, and other continual streaming create an addiction to information. A recent Study by Kansas State University estimated that employees waste 60-80% of their time at work “cyberloafing,” referring to the unproductive time spent wasted on non-critical job functions related to surfing the web.

Employers should actively monitor ALL internet traffic of their staff and ensure that work is truly being done. When we present a report to a business owner of the internet usage at his/her firm, he/she is most often shocked. A recent discovery at a client showed that certain employees consumed over 90% of the company’s internet by streaming ESPN during business hours. This was a waste of the employees’ time and a waste of the internet as a resource because the rest of the company complained of poor performance to access applications at the Datacenter.

The answer is simple. Monitor and enforce policies that create awareness of this problem in your company. It has to be a visible policy adhered to by all.

To view the original Study’s report and learn more, please visit Newswise.

DK, President

Red Level Networks