by , 11:00 AM EDT, May 5th, 2004
You arrive at work a few minutes early. You have just enough time to either go get coffee, or check out last nights sports scores on the Net. There's not enough time to do both, however. Which do you choose?
Well, according to the results of a poll recently released by Websense, most people would prefer to surf than to slurp at work. In fact, the poll reveals that 49% of those polled would give up morning coffee if they could surf the Internet for personal reasons.
Websense also says that the poll revealed a huge difference in the amount of time workers think they spend surfing, versus the amount of time IT managers think workers are spending. From the Websense press release:
Websense, Inc., the world's leading provider of employee Internet management (EIM) software, today announced the results of its 2004 Web@Work study, the company's annual survey conducted by Harris Interactive�. Last month 500 employees and 350 IT managers of organizations with at least 100 employees were polled on their Web and software application usage in the workplace.
According to the Web@Work 2004 survey, employees polled indicated that surfing the Internet at work is as important as their morning coffee. However, as the line between personal and business-related usage of the Web is increasingly blurred, the survey also reveals a startling discrepancy between what employees actually admit to doing at work versus IT managers' perception of what is actually occurring in their corporate networks. For example, employees only admit to spending two hours per week surfing the Web for personal reasons, but IT managers believe that number to be more than six hours a week. Similarly, while only two percent of employees admitted to accessing online hacking tools at work, one third of IT managers said they have had an employee launch a hacking tool within their network.
In addition, the survey also exposed the fact that many IT managers are either not aware of, or do not fully understand the risks presented by new emerging Internet threats such as spyware, unsanctioned instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing and Web-based viruses such as MyDoom. For example, nearly 95 percent of IT managers said they are confident that their company's current antivirus software is able to stop viruses from attacking their company's network, yet two-thirds reported that their organizations were infected by a Web-based virus.
Check out the full press release, including the survey results, at Websense.
The morning is too early to be making such crucial choices. Luckily, for many, and likely to the chagrin of managers everywhere, there is no choice, you do both.
Though managers may balk at having to pay top dollar to Web-cruising employees, there's little they can do, especially for those whose job it is to occasionally surf on company business. Even more, many employees see Web access as a benefit, sometimes as important as on-site cafeterias and health facilities; and, as the survey pointed out, for many, surfing at work is far faster than at home.
Also, as Websense notes, the line between what is personal and what is business is blurring as more information becomes available on the Web. It's easy to book a flight for business and, while you are at it, get tickets for your upcoming vacation. It saves you time, and makes you a happier worker. Happy workers, so they say, are productive workers; even those who spend 2 hours a week on the Web.
Whether or not that happiness results in a rise in productivity that offsets the time wasted is another issue, and one that is likely to be debated more seriously as Internet access becomes more and more ubiquitous in the future.
Evolving Workplace Computing Trends Revealed in Websense�s Fifth Annual Web@Work Survey