Currently, the internet is fundamental and is part of the business and activities of the vast majority of companies. In this context, most employees perform their daily activities on computers and connected to the internet, this can make teams productive but at the same time it can lead to a waste of time and resources, due to the large number of attractions that the internet offers, such as social networks, entertainment sites, games, personal email, instant communicators and many others.
Research shows that professionals spend an average of 30% of their time on non-work-related activities, spending up to 2 hours a day online carrying out personal activities. This scenario highlights the need to establish internet usage policies and implement navigation controls and rules, to ensure focus on work and avoid distractions and wasted time for employees.
In companies where there are no browsing policies and controls, the cost of misuse of the network can be high. This misuse can lead to wasted employee time, execution of unfocused and low-quality tasks, security problems such as data loss and installation of viruses on computers, idle equipment and constant maintenance, slow internet and low equipment performance. , between others. Let’s take a closer look at the costs of wasted time:
Waste of time and employee distraction
We know that it is common for professionals to access social networks and personal email at work, and these activities can be healthy if carried out with common sense and responsibility, but unfortunately this does not happen in the majority of cases.
In companies without restrictions on internet use, it is possible for employees to spend hours on the internet doing activities unrelated to work. Another factor that contributes to this waste is the use of cell phones for calls and conversations. In addition, distractions can also occur due to talking to colleagues, snacks and many other situations, including natural distractions for rest and relaxation.
It can be complex to measure the real cost of wasted employee time, but it is important to estimate this in terms of costs to get an idea of the financial impact that this waste causes to the company. To illustrate, let's consider a company with 20 employees, where wasted time on the internet is 15% of working time, that is, 72 minutes per day:
- Number of employees: 20
- Hours worked per day: 8
- Average monthly cost per employee: R$2,000.00
- Days worked per month: 20
- Total employee costs: R$40,000.00
- Average cost per hour for an employee: R$12.50
- Daily waste per employee: R$ 15.00
- Monthly waste per employee: R$ 300.00
- Total working hours wasted: 480
- Monthly waste due to poor internet use: R$6,000.00
The result of this calculation usually surprises managers, but the calculation shows that in the scenario we used, wasted time represents a monthly cost of R$6,000.00. However, we can still consider the 15% rate conservative, considering research data that shows that this rate can reach 30% on average in companies. Furthermore, in the analysis we are only considering the volume of unproductive hours, without taking into account the possibility of tasks delivered with poor quality by the team, which could compromise relationships with customers and the market.
To calculate how much misuse of the internet could cost in your company, use this company time wastage calculation tool .
Other factors that must also be analyzed as arising from the misuse of the internet are security problems, such as the installation of viruses on equipment, which generate maintenance costs and lead to idle resources.
Based on this cost analysis, it is possible to conclude that misuse of the internet can be extremely harmful to companies and that it is essential for managers to implement policies for using the network and technology resources. Mainly considering that in the current competitive scenario, efficiency in team management can become a differentiator in relation to the market and competitors.
To implement a browsing control policy, the first step is to guide employees through a manual on ethics and good use of the internet . It is also important to use services that allow you to block access to unwanted websites. See in this article what should be considered when defining internet access rules in your company. These access rules must be drawn up according to the activity profile of employees and the company, where it is recommended to use common sense, and there may be times when access to social networks and personal email, for example, is allowed and restricted. at other times.
Share with us your experiences regarding the misuse of the network in your company, what policies were used in the companies where you worked and what results were obtained.
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