It appears that in many Greek companies, managers and owners have been going crazy when it comes to keeping their staff away from accessing internet Web Pages. Most of the companies, that I am aware of, are providing their employees with internet access only to their private network, blocking every other access to Web Pages, including those that provide web email accounts. If you are a manager, you would think that such an action would result to a higher and more efficient productivity but do you really think that restraining people nowadays actually makes them happier and results in higher profits for the company that you are managing?
Most people are afraid to adapt in new things and welcome new practices not only in their workplace but also in their lives in general. In my opinion, there is no point trying to resist in a change that has arrived, established itself and will never go away. Regardless of the age we are living in, we need to learn to live with what we have learned, and what we can do. Humans invented internet, thus humans need to learn how to live with it. When internet established itself across humanity an unbreakable “bond” was created between itself and its users. Managers need to realize that “bond” and accept it as a part of people’s everyday habits. In the old times, people used to take cigarette breaks, or go to the bathroom too much in their effort to escape from their workplace for few minutes. Others escape just by sitting in the office without doing anything and think about their lives (it is called “daydreaming”). Nowadays, many of them escape online. It is inevitable. And it is different than the old times where people were taking breaks in specific pre- determined hours. Now our age is dynamic, people try to take breaks whenever they feel they have to.
Those managers who keep trying to break that “bond” are doing it in vain. Their main objection is that people use internet too much and that keeps them from doing their work. I will not disagree. But I know one thing for sure. As a manager, you want to have responsible people working for you. And responsible people will do the job for you no matter what. It would be a lot better if we, as a society, were trying to make ourselves and others be more responsible, rather than accepting the fact that we cannot handle well the “gifts” that we have been given, so someone else has to restrain them from us. I have worked in “internet- restrained” work places and it was terrible. I couldn’t wait to quit the job. I also used to work for a company that allowed us to have unlimited internet access. When work load was low, I could join facebook and talk to my friends, then when workload appeared, I was refreshed and ready to do it because I had escaped from my routine for a short time. When work load was high and a project was due the following morning, I would stay overtime to finish it, without allowing any distraction including visiting any webpage during that time. But this was done voluntarily, not because someone else was preventing me from doing so by trying to break my inseparable bond with the internet.
There is no point trying enforcing individuals a separation from such a “bond”. It is like you do not let your wife go out with her friends without you, because you think she will cheat on you. If you cannot trust your wife, you will not have a successful marriage, no matter how long it will last. Same goes for your career as a manager. Successful relationships are always built on trust.
So stop trying to block everything, there is not point. Set if free. Plus, think this way: having every internet Web Page accessible to your staff, can also be used as an assessment tool, by enabling you to keep track of who really likes the job that he is doing and who doesn’t. After all, most of your employees sooner or later will get mobile phones with internet access on them. I happen to know some of them – I recommended them to do so. :-)
If you want to keep your staff productive there is only one thing you should do: “Inspire”. Inspired workers never get bored and will do their best for you and for your company’s interests as long as you have a little faith in them. It is up to them to appreciate it or not and that should always be the case. If your workers do not produce, do not blame it on the internet. Before internet arrived, many people used to be unproductive as well!
P.S If you think that the social bubble regarding internet at work is not yet pwned I will ask you the million dollar question: I have not investigated it but, if you had to guess, would you think that people who work in companies like Facebook or Youtube have restrained internet access or unlimited one?
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