Dan Minette wrote:
>
> > I'm in management at a national telecommunications company, and my company
> > allows employees to use the internet at work, with the caveat that
> non-work
> > related surfing be done at lunch and on breaks. I don't enforce this to
> the
> > letter with my staff, but I do keep an eye on their productivity. I know
> > when they're working efficiently and when they're slacking - I have to.
>
> That's the real key: the effect on productivity. If people spend their
> whole day chatting at the office cooler, they don't get a thing out. If
> they are at all creative, and have a tough problem to solve, going by
> someone's office to chat can unblock a solution. The reasonable supposition
> is that the people with the top productivity know what works for them. If
> they are surfing the weather and chatting while getting tons of stuff out,
> then they have found their comfort zone for working. If someone's
> productivity is low, and they surf a lot, that's a good first place to look.
> If someone's productivity is low, and they have their nose to the
> grindstone, that's another problem.
I'd say if their productivity is low and their surfing, there's also
probably other issues to address. People often point to outside
distractions as cause for low productivity, but those distractions are
often just syphons for discountent or frustration with their job.
-j-
