In the days since, I’ve heard a lot of chatter about the show all around the office. Out of curiosity I punched “ABC LOST Blogs” into Google and was presented with more than 30 million results. I clicked on one of the more popular blogs and, despite the fact that I don’t regularly watch the show, I suddenly found myself getting sucked in.
Without resisting it, I was being slowly pulled away from my work. That’s when it struck me that the LOST phenomenon is very relevant to HR professionals and to businesses in general. Employees find themselves preoccupied with popular websites like YouTube, Hulu, Twitter, and Facebook, instant messaging programs like G-Chat & AIM, and all sorts of chatter from pop-culture to breaking news to who got voted off Idol or what doesn’t make sense about the latest flash sideways on LOST.
Despite how broad and hazy a topic it is, the issue of handling the new and ever increasing number of workplace distractions is very serious. So serious is the issue in fact, that the technology giant Intel has been conducting extensive research into the topic of “information overload.” In a report compiled with the research firm Basex, Intel estimates that the amount of worker productivity lost due to the various interruptions workers encounter on a daily basis costs the U.S. economy $900 billion per year.
While researching how companies have tried to handle maintaining employee focus in the face of countless distractions, I found a variety of different beliefs and approaches. One study conducted by the University of Melbourne found that workers “who do surf the Internet for fun at work—within a reasonable limit of less than 20 percent of their total time in the office—are more productive by about 9 percent than those who don’t.” They attribute this increase in productivity to the need for people to “zone out for a bit to get back their concentration.” However, this study also warns of the potential for “Internet addiction,” a term used to describe the tendency of some workers to spend inordinate amounts of time online and get irritable if interrupted while surfing the Web.
At Intel, researchers found that employees were spending on average 20 hours per week handling email alone. Intel launched pilot programs like ‘no e-mail days’ and office ‘quiet time’ to combat the loss in productivity at Intel due to unnecessary interruptions. Other companies have blocked access to popular video Web sites over concerns about employee productivity and also the amount of bandwidth being sucked up by employees watching videos online. One company took even bolder action to stymie the potential loss in productivity by firing an employee for violating company policy involving fantasy football.
Based on all of these differing opinions on workplace distractions and the various approaches to handling them, it is clear that companies need to figure out what works for them. Each organization should take an individual approach as to how to handle issues of workplace distractions and employee productivity. Some organizations will have zero tolerance for Internet surfing and online chatting. Others will find that a little “me-time” for employees can go a long way in boosting their overall productivity.
While helping organizations develop policies for Internet use, HR practitioners should be cognizant of the office culture and be careful when blocking specific websites and cracking down on wasted time at work through other measures. When such restrictive actions are taken without careful consideration, they can potentially be counter-productive, leading to employee backlash and decreased employee morale.
One thing companies should give serious consideration to is allowing employees to surf the web on topics closely related to their job. This can be an easy, cost-free way to let them to learn about new subjects, network with peers, and stay connected with current trends in the industry.
At Intel, researchers found that employees were spending on average 20 hours per week handling email alone. Intel launched pilot programs like ‘no e-mail days’ and office ‘quiet time’ to combat the loss in productivity at Intel due to unnecessary interruptions. Other companies have blocked access to popular video Web sites over concerns about employee productivity and also the amount of bandwidth being sucked up by employees watching videos online. One company took even bolder action to stymie the potential loss in productivity by firing an employee for violating company policy involving fantasy football.
Based on all of these differing opinions on workplace distractions and the various approaches to handling them, it is clear that companies need to figure out what works for them. Each organization should take an individual approach as to how to handle issues of workplace distractions and employee productivity. Some organizations will have zero tolerance for Internet surfing and online chatting. Others will find that a little “me-time” for employees can go a long way in boosting their overall productivity.
While helping organizations develop policies for Internet use, HR practitioners should be cognizant of the office culture and be careful when blocking specific websites and cracking down on wasted time at work through other measures. When such restrictive actions are taken without careful consideration, they can potentially be counter-productive, leading to employee backlash and decreased employee morale.
One thing companies should give serious consideration to is allowing employees to surf the web on topics closely related to their job. This can be an easy, cost-free way to let them to learn about new subjects, network with peers, and stay connected with current trends in the industry.
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