Why Enterprises Shouldn't Limit Web Traffic - Productivity (
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It should also be noted that the idea of productivity slipping due to more
access to the Web is a red herring. Whether companies want to admit it or
not, they can't block every Website. And no matter how hard their
employers try, employees will gain access to sites that the company
missed. And the worst part is, they'll be even less productive.
Employees are spending more time trying to find ways around the firewalls than
working. If they had access to the sites they wanted to see, they'd go
there and get back to work sooner.
Along that same line, it's important to remember that productivity can actually
increase by allowing it to decrease. Yes, that might sound
counter-intuitive, but hear me out.
It's December and employee A is really behind on their holiday
shopping. They want to get a few things for the kids at work today, but
when they get
there, they realize they can't access the online store they wanted to
buy the
products from. So, they decide to go on their lunch hour to a
brick-and-mortar to get the products. The only trouble is, the lines
are
long, traffic is bad, and whoops -- that one-hour lunch break just
turned into
a two-hour lunch break.
It gets worse. That same employee is so far behind on their holiday
shopping that they have no other option -- they need to take a Friday off to
make sure it's done before the holidays. That's eight hours of lost work
all because the employee didn't have a chance to buy gifts online at
work. Buying gifts online would have taken no more than one hour. That company just lost eight hours. It's simple math.
And that's the biggest issue with the enterprise blocking Websites. It
might make sense at first glance, but if we take a rational look at things,
it's actually clear that it's quite the opposite -- firewalls cause more
headaches.
So, maybe it's time companies stop focusing on limiting employees and
start
figuring out how to make them happier and thus, keep them working.
Running scared isn't the best option. Freedom and education is the
business world's best bet.
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