Bosses Crack Down on Work-Time Surfing

Got Internet service for the whole office, but productivity seems down? Are Cabbage Patch dolls and Joe Willie Namath football cards showing up by the boxload? Is the UPS guy on a first-name basis with the entire staff?

These could be signs that workers are spending more time eBaying than doing their jobs. It’s a growing problem.

According to the October report by Nielsen//Netratings Inc. of Milpitas, Calif., the average worker nationwide spent a combined 23 hours, 11 minutes, 18 seconds of that month’s working time surfing online.

The most popular site during October work hours was the search engine Yahoo!, which received 23.6 million “unique” visitors. Nielsen//Netratings spokeswoman Maria Bumatay said eBay is a notoriously “sticky” site, meaning that surfers stay on it for longer periods than they do at other sites.

EBay, founded in San Jose, Calif., in 1995, is the largest online trading community in the world, with 16 million registered users and more than a million items up for auction on any given day.

Bumatay said the average eBay user spends 141 minutes per month logged on to the site. Only the game site Pogo.com and shopping site freeride.com are stickier.

Lance Sexton, director of the University of Arkansas’ Small Business Development Center, said he had heard a number of complaints about employee Internet use from his clients. Some bosses, he said, have even shut down their Internet access after discovering workers playing games or visiting eBay.

“One young employee at a Northwest Arkansas business had downloaded so much music,” Sexton said, “it filled up his hard drive and froze up the computer so he couldn’t work. A lot of small-business owners probably don’t complain because they may not even know how Internet access is being used in their offices.”

Dennis Shelby, CEO of HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital in Fayetteville, said his company monitors employee Internet use. HealthSouth has a written policy that states that employees should use the Internet for business purposes only. Failure to follow certain guidelines may result in termination.

“If you’re messing around on the Internet instead of working, that’s stealing,” Shelby said, “because you’re doing personal business on company time.”

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. provides thousands of employees at its Bentonville headquarters with Internet access. Spokeswoman Melissa Berryhill said they are trusted to use it for business purposes. If it’s abused, she said, that’s addressed.

Sexton said any business would be wise to set guidelines for work-time Internet use. He said an Internet policy explanation should be included in the standard personnel paperwork given to every new worker.

Steve Monson is manager for new car sales and Internet business at Landers Toyota North in Rogers, formerly Bob Clark Toyota. Only four employees in his office spend much time on the Internet, although all of the sales staff has access for prospecting.

“It’s hard to refute the efficiency of doing research or ordering products on the Internet,” Sexton said. “I am a proponent of it, especially for small-business owners who wear several hats. There’s invaluable information at places like Bizfacts.com.

“… If employees are e-mailing their mom here and there, that’s not a big deal. But if they’re spending 30 minutes eBaying for Barbie doll clothes, they need to do that at home.”

Sexton said one solution business owners should consider is offering home Internet access to workers as a perk. It’s an inexpensive benefit and a positive way to encourage daytime productivity.