The risks

The risks of cyberslacking include:

• Reduced productivity.
• Inadvertent introduction of viruses and spyware.
• Employees downloading pornography and offensive material.
• Installing unlicensed software.
• Internet bandwidth wasted on peer-to-peer file sharing.
• Disciplinary problems.

How common is it?

• 70% of porn traffic occurs during office hours.
• Three quarters of company networks are host to some kind of peer-to-peer file sharing software.
• A third of companies have had to discipline staff for misuse of the internet.

How to manage timewasting

• Monitor employees' internet use (but Comply with the Data Protection Act and other regulations concerning employee monitoring).
• Use Internet content filtering.
• Restrict employees' access to the internet, either web browsers or email.
• Consider providing private-use only internet caf? style computers and ban private use on business computers.
• Make sure someone is responsible for installing legitimate software on people’s computers and make it policy not to install anything else.
• Make sure your staff internet policy includes guidance on personal use (see Write good staff policies).