The internet is a marvellous creation and an invaluable business tool, but in the office it can be a double-edged sword. There are exciting other worlds just a few clicks away and the temptation to indulge can be huge. The internet can be a distraction for your employees and a drain on productivity. Here are three ways to avoid problems of internet-time wasting.
It’s all very good and sensible to impose a new internet use policy. But the lure of cat videos, or to just take a moment to look up something interesting, is strong. You don’t want to turn the office into a surveillance environment, but you can stop the problem before it starts, with a content filtering solution from Quikteks.
How Much Monitoring Do You Need?
Content filtering works by blocking access to certain websites. It’s your call – you can be lenient or strict about how much latitude staff have in their internet usage. Whatever you decide, make your decisions and stick to them. You don’t want to monitor every keystroke people make. And do you want to block every site that’s fun? Or do you just block some problem websites and boost morale by giving your staff some freedom to play a little in working hours? It’s your call.
Outline the Workplace Internet Usage Policy
A policy on what’s acceptable to view won’t fix everything, but it’s still important to have clear guidelines. It helps to send the message that it’s not all about stopping people having fun in their lunch break, but crucial for security and productivity. After all, people’s salaries depend on these. A clear policy that draws the boundaries will go a long way towards limiting internet time-wasting.
Outsource Your Network Monitoring.
For content filtering to work well regular monitoring is required. This involves keeping up with the latest time-wasting and insecure websites and adding them to the list of blocked sites. You may also need to regularly review your employees’ browsing history. Do you have time for all of this? If not, then you can outsource this responsibility to Quikteks. With our network monitoring tools, we can access your network remotely and take care of monitoring internet usage for you.
You don’t want to alienate your employees with a heavy-handed approach, but being too lenient about what is permitted over your company’s Internet connection can lose you hours of productivity, as well as compromising your network security. It’s a risk not worth taking. To take charge of your Internet usage and information on content filtering solutions, call Quikteks today at (973) 882-4644.