This is a world that revolves around the Internet. Put someone in front of a computer and, chances are, the person will want to get online.
College students may have had a class in a room with computers, and have been tempted to go on the Internet even though one knows one shouldn’t. But does one ever think that one’s parents might be doing the same thing at work?
A recent survey conducted by Websense, the maker of software that can control Internet use, said that this is the case in some workplaces.
The survey of over 500 employees and managers, reported on msnbc.com, said that one in four employees has a serious Web habit. According to the survey, these people may spend more than an entire workday per week online surfing web sites unrelated to the work they are doing.
Taking into consideration that the average workday is eight hours long, that’s almost two hours each day surfing web sites.
The survey said more than half the workers access news sites, and just under half of the workers click on to shopping and auction sites. And yes, some even look for pornography, though the percentage is very small.
Internet addiction expert Dr. Marlene Maheu, said to MSNBC that studies have shown 25 to 50 percent of cyberaddiction is occurring at the workplace. She said it means employees are getting paid to participate in activities that are not work-related.
The fact that it is not work related is not good for the company, said Websense Chief Technology Officer Harold Kester.
“Left unchecked, free and open Internet use can lead to severe productivity and legal liability issues for organizations,” said Kester.