Third of workers will do holiday shopping at work
November 27, 2009 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Behavior, Discipline, HR Tech, In this week's e-newsletter - Tech
‘Tis the season for another Web-based productivity killer: online holiday shopping.
This year, 32% of employees say they’ll get a lot of their shopping done during office hours, according to a recent survey by CareerBuilder. That’s up from 29% last year.
And as most managers and HR pros know, if 32% admit to it, the actual number will likely be higher.
What should employers do about it? Well, most are probably used to it by now and will let all the visits to Amazon and other online stores slide. In a survey conducted last year by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association, 55% of IT managers said their company wasn’t doing anything to stop online shoppers.
Best bet: Treat productivity issues in December the same way you would any other time of the year.
Tags: online, productivity, shopping
December 1st, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Frankly, I have no great heartburn if an employee shops on line. First, we do a lot of that for work anyway. A couple of my people use the shopping for self as their break time. Second, it’s more productive than if they leave in the middle of the day, drive to a mall, get what they want and then either don’t come back to work because it’s late, or are gone two-three hours in the middle of something important. I’ll take a twenty-minute Amazon.com search and purchase over three hours not in the office at all.
However, if I find someone spends most of their day on line, they get a warning. If it continues, they are gone. Three former employees are former because they couldn’t control themselves. And _that_ directive is in the employee handbook.
December 11th, 2009 at 10:00 am
John, I feel the same, things are not like they use to, and if the were, all business’s would close on
Sunday, and crime wouldn’t be the way it is and bail-out’s would be bankrupcies, and people wouldn’t buy more than what they make and a relationship’s would be spending time person to person instead of twitter and talk sites or texing – I mean if this is some thing that can at least be offered to an employee so their time can be made less stressful then I as an employer want my employees as happy so they can say “I love my job” and be productive.
Put it in your employee manual, document and maintain a fair view of what you are overseeing.
and do not – do not waiver from your policy.
and everyone will be happy. And if they have something to be disgruntled about it will be because they them selves are making them selves that way.