Capping IT Off
Some enterprises think that blocking Internet access for their employees is the solution to many of their issues. They think that productivity will be increased, costs can be saved, less security and legal issues will occur and, since the rise of Web2.0 and social media in particular: less damage to their reputation can be done. So if you are ever confronted with one of these four reasons for blocking the Internet access for your employees (or if somebody is using this argument to explain to you why your access to the Internet is blocked), you will know the answer.
Blocking will increase the productivity of the employee
This argument is based on the fact that if an employee is on
Facebook or Twitter, he is not working, but babbling and browsing
during the expensive hours of the enterprise. Of course that is true,
however it isn’t the complete story. Facebook and Twitter are not time
wasters every time these tools are used, they can be used effectively
to gather information, but they also are more effective in catching up
friends and family, most often more effective than a phone call that
will take an hour. The phone call takes more time than just a tweet, or
just a message on Facebook. People will not stop doing non-work things
during work hours if the enterprise blocks the Internet access, they
will probably still do it, but less effectively since one of the most
effective tools was blocked. Plus instead of catching up with
colleagues online, they will have to find another way: more coffee
breaks, more chit chat in the office and longer lunches could be
results of that. Not blocking Internet access can even help your
employees to get a better work-life balance, since they can do certain
things during work hours, which by blocking Internet access has to be
done outside office hours.
If employees are spending 10 hours a day on Facebook during office
hours, do not block, but ask why they are online so much, and if it
helps them in getting their work done. Just simple talk with employees,
instead of blocking access. They might give you the brightest ideas in
years on how you can utilize the Internet in a way to generate
business. And if they are being unproductive, you can have a talk about
and how to change that, blocking will not instantly change somebodies
attitude.
We will save a lot of money since our employees are wasting the bandwidth
Watching YouTube videos, surfing the web on non related websites are
most often bandwidth wasters. However visiting ‘useful’ (whatever that
definition might be) sites during work hours might be too. If something
doesn’t help you in task-completion it is a waste. Let’s have a closer
look at YouTube: is it a waste, are the instruction and training videos
on YouTube a waste, or do they help sombody in completing his work? Is
an hour spend on Google less waste than five minutes on Facebook for
asking a work related question and receiving answers to that question?
Besides that, bandwith is getting cheaper every year and broadband is
widely available and is also declining in price.
Blocking will save you bandwidth, however will it solve the real problem (if there is any problem at all)?. The real solution? Talk with your
employees, ask what they do online and why they spend hours on YouTube
or other sites, they might be working more efficient than you were
aware off in the first place. They might be even doing customer service
on different platforms, or providing customers with instruction videos
for your products.
No issues with downloaded inappropriate content / malware
If this is a real worry, than there are more issues than just
possible mis-use of an Internet connection, it is a lack of trust in
your employees. However if you are afraid of this, please note that
there is still something such as USB sticks which can help your
employees to distribute the inappropriate content or accidentally
install malware. Or, if you should also block external devices and USB
sticks, please note that not all inappropriate is digital, it seems
that there are certain magazines or movies that you might prefer not to
have in the office, or even not at all in the world.
Also closing your Internet connection only solves the download
issue, employees can still distribute inappropriate content or malware.
However, you could also put some effort in it and talk with your employees what one should and shouldn’t do in the office with the Internet connection.
Our reputation is at risk if our employees are online.
If your reputation is on the line by employee behavior, don’t be to
surprised, but employees also have an Internet connection at home.
People still can leak confidential information, provide misinformation,
spread rumors, or damage the image of the company in any other way.
However why would they? If you are afraid that ‘bad things may happen’,
again: talk with your employees, explain on how you
think they should behave online, however, listen to them on what they
think is correct online behavior.
Create a set of guidelines, together with your employees, on how you
should behave online and how Internet access should be used. Do not
make it a list which just sums up all things that are forbidden, since
then you’ll be waiting till somebody finds the next work around which
is not on your list. Make clear what is preferred behavior and discuss
this with your employees and let your employees provide input (or even
better: let them create the guidelines). It is really simple: blocking
is not a long term (nor a short term) solution for the issues that are
often mentioned. If employee behavior is a real issue with regards to
Internet access, discuss the behavior, since the attitude is a problem,
not the Internet connection.
You only block Internet access when you are afraid to talk with your
employees about their behavior. Preventing behavior does not solve your
problems, it will prevent them just for a short period of time.
Rick Mans is a social media evangelist within Capgemini. You can follow and connect with him via Twitter or Delicious
About the author
Rick is on a day to day basis working on social media (strategy) cases for several (Fortune 500) clients. He lives and loves social media, helping people and enterprises in using social media in a way that adds value for them. He also gives guest lectures at several universities to make students aware of the impact social media will have on their life in general and on enterprises in particular in the near and not so near future. Is he a geek? Well… yes. A geek with a social life though. Even one with a wife and a young son, who’s first English words were ‘Social media’.
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Unfortunately, Cap Gemini itself blocks Facebook and Twitter. So, this is like preaching Christianity but following Hinduism !
or is it that it blocks them only in India?? very well said if its true, shouldn’t write such article at the first place if u don’t follow it urself.
In the next post of “Capping IT off”, could you please give the reasons why Capgemini is blocking most of the web 2.0 and social media from its employees?
That’s why everyone is buying an iPhone now. ;)
In essence maybe there is some truth to this but in reality ………..?? As a Team Lead, trying to ensure a good balance with employees between work and life is very difficult and no matter the freedom & trust given to employees to manage this themselves, there are always those that spoil it for the rest and exploit it to the maximum. Catching them in the act is also another issue making it difficult to coach them on overuse without the visibility this really happens. Solution: stop the access altogether. At the end of the day an employer pays you to do so many hours of work in the day, there are few who work beyond their standard hours but also want the freedom to do things personal. Have no problem with giving that freedom to people that display a healthy understanding of what their real purpose in the work place is, but how does one give that freedom without possibly being seen to be discriminating against others?!
Like I said in essence sounds good but in reality……
@ Marcia: don’t agree with you. The key is to establish clear goals and guidelines on what you expect from your employees/team. And not to play the big brother all the time. Trust and Relationship go a long way in achieving the goals.
In a similar way, companies were skeptical about the telephone when it was first introduced in the enterprise and some tried to block access to it.
Companies that grow are open to new ideas and need to attract the best people. There is a wealth of information available on the web and by shutting down access, you are shutting down access to innovation
Not only in India, in Spain Facebook, YouTube and Spotify are blocked too (not Twitter but will it be soon?). Is this post a joke?
To this excellent post, there are comments on Internet sites being blocked despite Rick’s vision on keeping such sites open.
In this regard you should consider that Internet policies are set by each region and individual company individually. You should also appreciate Rick’s role in the Company, being an evangelist with broad audience. He however have limited authority to decide on each region Internet policy.
Please consider this blog post partly as having both internal and external audience.
In Capgemini Spain we have access to the most of Social Media sites and tools (Twitter, LinkedIn, Xing). Even more we have worked with Xing Spain in order to create awarenes and to push the use of Professional Networks among our employees.
Although it’s true we have some sites (Facebook, YouTube) still blocked…
Well, that was a bunch of obvious responses!
Like a lot of large, globally federated business, Capgemini is obviously struggling with the internal use of social media. Different regions are making different decisions, and they’re not always the decisions we (the people who use these services) like.
However, it is encouraging that Rick was able to post his missive without faxing it to head office for the lawyers’ approval before hitting the submit button. Obviously some decisions are going the right way.
r.
PEG
What I want to know is Capgemini on Yammer?
You can block the PC (which I agree is a dumb idea), but you cannot block progress. People just use their phones instead: http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/research/4458.html
Espen is right, Rick can only put forth his view. It is individual BUs and geographies within Capgemini who (unfortunately) enforce Internet access blocking for their employees