Hours Spent on Social Media Instead of Working

A Shropshire IT company is giving out advice about web monitoring after fears were raised that workers across the county are spending more time on social media sites than working.

Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Bebo are frequently being accessed by employees during the hours they are meant to be working. And employers worried about time management and social media are seeking help from IT professionals to see how much work time is being wasted.

Chris Pallett, of Bespoke Computing in Telford, said there are a number of easy ways for employers to keep an eye on time management in the workplace.

He said: “On average most employees are spending one to two hours a day using the internet for personal things. One local employer we recently spoke to said they were losing nearly double this.

“In addition to the time being lost to personal surfing, it is also exposing the computers to all sorts of malware, spyware and virus threats that could otherwise have been avoided.

“In the first instance we normally suggest employers talk to HR and look at how personal internet usage can be managed by policy. After that there are a number of tools and techniques available to control internet usage.

“Web filtering works by watching for the websites that people are visiting. Some solutions simply make a note of the web pages you visit, others can totally stop you from visiting the page.”

If you are concerned about any of the issues highlighted, talk to your existing IT provider or contact Bespoke Computing on 01952 303404.