How to Make Employees More Productive.

It can truly be said that the Internet has changed our lives. From the personal aspects of Internet use (like social media and online games) to the business aspects (like ecommerce and email), the Internet has transformed the world in which we live. And while most of the changes brought about by the Internet are positive for the most part, there are some aspects of Internet use that can be troublesome. This is especially true in a business environment, where Internet use often results in a lack of employee productivity.
Let’s face it, many employees waste time on the Internet during business hours. Whether it’s checking in with social media sites or doing a little personal online banking, employees now have the opportunity to spend an increasing amount of nonproductive hours in the office. And with the advent of smart phone technology, they don’t even need to use their workplace PCs to access the Internet. All in all, this can be a daunting problem for business owners and managers.
A growing number of employers have chosen to use Internet filtering software to address the issue. The only problem is that this type of software not only blocks out undesirable sites, but also sites that can be very valuable to businesses. And it still doesn’t address the core issue of improving employee productivity.
Other companies have tried monitoring software, but many of these products are invasive. In fact, several of these software packages are referred to as “spyware.” Often, employees don’t even know their computer use is being monitored. Once they find out, it can have a very negative effect on the employees’ morale, and they end up not trusting the employer. In some cases, employers might actually put themselves at risk of being sued by their own employees. Obviously, this is not the answer.
Improving Productivity through Employee Evaluationr
Rather than addressing the problem of unproductive employees by controlling or filtering Internet access, a much more positive solution can be found by using a time-tested management technique—employee evaluation. It’s really a matter of looking at the situation in a positive manner rather than in a negative way. In other words, rather than trying to address the negative behavior (in this case, the employee spending too much personal time on the Internet during business hours), business managers should focus instead on the positive goal of making the employee more productive.
When a manager measures the amount of productive time that an employee spends on the Internet, and then establishes productivity goals for the employee to meet, is an effective solution. Using this employee evaluation technique, employers can, in fact, resolve the productivity issue.