Cyber loafing has become a significant issue for companies today. Cyber loafing costs companies millions of dollars each year. As a result, some companies have chosen to use various technologies to either prevent or catch employees that are spending their time online or on their cell phones doing non-work-related activities such as shopping, playing games, or socializing.
Complete some research on cyber loafing.
What are the costs to companies? How much time do employees spend doing non-work-related activities? What are some of the tools employers are using? What are the laws in your state related to the use of these tools? Do you think the use of these tools is ethical? Why or why not?
Full Answer Section
What are some of the tools employers are using?
There are a number of tools that employers are using to prevent or catch employees that are cyberloafing. These tools include:
- Internet monitoring software: This software tracks employees' internet activity and can flag any non-work-related websites that are visited.
- Keystroke logging software: This software records every keystroke that an employee makes, which can be used to identify employees who are typing personal emails or browsing social media.
- Web filtering software: This software blocks access to certain websites, such as social media sites or gaming websites.
- Time tracking software: This software tracks how much time employees spend on different tasks, which can help to identify employees who are spending too much time on non-work-related activities.
What are the laws in your state related to the use of these tools?
The laws in your state related to the use of these tools will vary. In general, employers are allowed to monitor their employees' internet activity, but they must do so in a way that is reasonable and does not violate the employees' privacy rights.
Do you think the use of these tools is ethical? Why or why not?
Whether or not the use of these tools is ethical is a matter of opinion. Some people believe that employers have a right to monitor their employees' internet activity, while others believe that it is an invasion of privacy. Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to use these tools is up to the individual employer.
Personally, I believe that the use of these tools can be ethical if they are used in a reasonable and transparent way. Employers should inform their employees that their internet activity is being monitored, and they should only monitor employees' activity for legitimate business purposes.
Sample Answer
here is some research on cyberloafing:
What are the costs to companies?
Cyberloafing can cost companies millions of dollars each year. A study by the American Management Association found that the average cost of lost productivity due to internet surfing at work is $588 per year per employee. That means for a company with 1,000 employees, cyberloafing could cost them almost $600,000 per year!
How much time do employees spend doing non-work-related activities?
A study by Salary.com found that 69% of employees waste time at work every day, with 64% visiting non-work related web pages. Out of those workers, 39% said they wasted up to an hour on the Internet at work, 29% wasted 1-2 hours, and 32% wasted over two hours a day.