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Casual Articles - Seven Steps You Can Take to Prevent Your Employees from Wasting Time and Resources on the Internet
Imagine…A business owner scrambles to come up with money to make his payroll. As a last desperate measure, he gathers up every last penny he has and flies to Vegas. He gambles…and wins! Amazing isn’t it? It happened to a now globally know company back in its beginning stages.As a business owner, making ends meet can be stressful. Companies with whom you do business can take 30, 60 even 120 days to pay their invoices. In the meantime, you have to cover your expenses. There is a solution.It’s called Factoring. It is the selling of your accounts receivables. This year alone, thousands of businesses will sell billions of dollars worth of these receivables to finance growth and sometimes to eliminate cash shortages.Factoring is a 4,000 year old form of financing. Dating back to ancient Mesopotamia, factoring has slowly evolved throughout the centuries. The early American colonists used factoring when shipping goods back to England. Merchant bankers advanced the colonist money against those materials long before they reached England. Before the 1930’s, the most common industries to use factoring were the textile and garment industries. Today, it is quite common in all spheres of business-to-business commerce.How factoring works is actually fairly simple. When a client submits invoices, the factor will verify their accuracy, sometimes even turning this into a customer service call. The F
“I kind of feel like, someone is watching me...”
Although 80% of all employers surveyed say they notify employees that they are being monitored, it is not clear how much of a deterrent to private Internet and email use and abuse this truly is.
The fact that an employee “intellectually” knows the company is surveying its staff translates into, "Yeah, but there are so many employees they'll never notice me, and besides what I’m doing isn’t that big a deal."
The employee will go on personally using the Internet until the day she suddenly finds herself in her boss' office discovering that her web and email use has been tracked, and she is about to be escorted off the premises.
In addition, unfair and inconsistent application of policies and discipline leads to morale problems. While one employee, known to be a productive worker and highly valued for her skills, is allowed to go shopping on line, another worker is disciplined for it.
If you think that policies applied unfairly or inconsistently are not noticed (and resented) by the workforce, think again.
Practices like these translate into low morale, low produc
There are numerous legal considerations that should be taken into account when implementing employment screening services as part of your hiring policies. The Federal Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), state statutes, reporting guidelines and applicant disclosures all must be adhered to as part of the process. It's critical to follow these procedures as you don't want to find yourself in legal troubles.The FCRA sets forth the guidelines for background investigation companies also known as Consumer Reporting Agencies. Essentially it protects the consumers' right to privacy and fairness when preparing consumer reports on individuals.State statutes: States often set their own rules pertaining to the use and assimilation of consumer information. What may be allowed as a reportable offense in one state may not be legal in another.When performing a California background check, the state civil statute (California's Investigative Consumer Reporting Agencies Act) must be followed as there are a variety of restrictions imposed. A misdemeanor marijuana conviction older than 2 years is not reportable and therefore an adverse action decision may not be made based on this offense. Criminal convictions and credit data are not allowed to be reported beyond the 7 year period from the date of disposition. Arrest only records are only deemed reportable if the case is pending but if the arrest did not result in a
It was a log of everything he had done on the Internet since the beginning of the year -- every website he had visited, every IM conversation he had had, every email he had sent out and received -- not only by the company mail but those sent from his Yahoo and Hotmail accounts.
Everything he had said and done on the Internet during the last year lay before him, and it wasn't a pretty picture.
His boss' face was expressionless. The HR woman sitting beside him looked grim.
"I'm afraid we are going to have to let you go, Ben," Mr. Donaldson said at length. "You've been wasting company time and resources, and the websites you've accessed and the mail you’ve sent and received are, well..."
Ben's hand shook as he dropped the report on the desk top. He nodded spastically, and for a minute he thought his head might fall off his shoulders.
As if it had been severed by a guillotine.
After they escorted Ben out of the building, Sam Donaldson sighed and looked at the HR Person, Mary Tyler.
"I didn't like that," he said. "Ben Morgan was basically a good employee. He was creative and put out a lot of good work."
Mary shrugged and tapped the edge of Ben's file on the desktop. "We can't have that kind of thing going on here. He was accessing gambling sites and his email messages were questionable."
She left the office, making her way through the line of cubicles in which employees now worked more feverishly than ever. Sam Johnson watched her go, and decided he didn't like the way the atmosphere of the workplace had changed. He didn't like what this kind of employee surveillance had done to morale.
The uneasiness he felt was almost palpable.
We're watching you
It's no secret that the days of worker privacy have long since passed. With the serious potential of harassment lawsuits and security breaches that involve the release of company private information, most companies large and small have implemented Internet monitoring spy ware.
A recent Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey report has revealed that companies are "increasingly putting teeth in technology policies." Workers have been fired from 26% of the companies surveyed for misuse of the Internet, and 25% have terminated employees for misusing e-mail.
As of 2005, fully 76% are monitoring employees’ website connections and are blocking inappropriate web URL's. Employers track content, keystrokes, and time spent at the keyboards. e-Mail is under scrutiny with 55% of those surveyed storing and reviewing messages.
Morale and Big Brother
But the question becomes, is high surveillance really counterproductive? What happens to employee productivity when management decides to tightly monitor Internet use and computer resources?
The answer to that question appears to be: tight Internet monitoring as well as punitive use of the results may have severely deleterious results.
In an April 2003 article on Medzilla.com, a leading recruiter for the Medical Profession, Dr. Frank Heasley, was quoted as saying "Excessive monitoring of employees' Internet activities is damaging for morale. It signals that the employer doesn't trust its staff, and it sends the message that the employer thinks that any activity that cannot be directly attributed to 'work' is simply goofing off."
He goes on to say it is seriously "demotivating and ultimately will stifle creativity and damage productivity."
Toward Internet Enlightenment...
Today, employers find themselves caught between two extreme and opposing points of view. Both are fraught with peril.
The first viewpoint involves defining strict policies of Internet and email use, close monitoring, and exacting punitive measures when the policy is violated. The second is to allow virtually unrestricted use of Internet and email resources; a “laid back” approach that might encourage dangerous employee abuse.
If Dr. Heasley is to be believed, the first is damaging to morale, and could ultimately result in a serious loss of resources (as employees leave the company in protest) and a diminishment of productivity as work slows down because of lack of motivation and unrest.
The second can produce a "free for all" situation in which company privacy can be seriously violated.
Somewhere between these two extremes lies an approach that protects company assets but at the same time allows enough freedom for the employee to feel she is not placed on some sort of "short -- and intellectually strangling -- leash".
One needs a policy that protects the company and creates an intellectually free atmosphere of company loyalty, creativity, and high productivity.
“I kind of feel like, someone is watching me...”
Although 80% of all employers surveyed say they notify employees that they are being monitored, it is not clear how much of a deterrent to private Internet and email use and abuse this truly is.
The fact that an employee “intellectually” knows the company is surveying its staff translates into, "Yeah, but there are so many employees they'll never notice me, and besides what I’m doing isn’t that big a deal."
The employee will go on personally using the Internet until the day she suddenly finds herself in her boss' office discovering that her web and email use has been tracked, and she is about to be escorted off the premises.
In addition, unfair and inconsistent application of policies and discipline leads to morale problems. While one employee, known to be a productive worker and highly valued for her skills, is allowed to go shopping on line, another worker is disciplined for it.
If you think that policies applied unfairly or inconsistently are not noticed (and resented) by the workforce, think again.
Practices like these translate into low morale, low product
Have you ever wondered why your perfectly fine classified ad fails to attract the attention you desire? There should be dozens-no, hundreds-of perspective buyers swamping your e-mail inbox with offers. After all, you are offering a mint baseball card, a vintage coat, pristine used car, those wholesale-priced sporting goods, and whatever other attractive items are in your inventory. Instead, you only have a slow trickle of questions, a handful of sales. What gives? More than likely, your sales are slow because you have not mastered the three techniques of writing a classic classified ad.Of course, give yourself credit for recognizing one important facet of today's selling world. You decided to sell your stuff at an online classified site. As anybody in the business knows, online classified ads get you more privacy, a broader selection of buyers, and a wealth of tools to help you keep tabs on your transactions. When compared to a newspaper, cyberspace is also a wee bit more spacious. There are billions of pages on the Web, and only a few dozen in your typical neighborhood rag. For you, that means a lot more space for your ad to say the least.With that space, however, comes great responsibility-and great potential. The extra room gives you the freedom to include as much product description and sale copy as you want. You can't just slap together a whole bunch of information, though. You need to use the th
Mary shrugged and tapped the edge of Ben's file on the desktop. "We can't have that kind of thing going on here. He was accessing gambling sites and his email messages were questionable."
She left the office, making her way through the line of cubicles in which employees now worked more feverishly than ever. Sam Johnson watched her go, and decided he didn't like the way the atmosphere of the workplace had changed. He didn't like what this kind of employee surveillance had done to morale.
The uneasiness he felt was almost palpable.
We're watching you
It's no secret that the days of worker privacy have long since passed. With the serious potential of harassment lawsuits and security breaches that involve the release of company private information, most companies large and small have implemented Internet monitoring spy ware.
A recent Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey report has revealed that companies are "increasingly putting teeth in technology policies." Workers have been fired from 26% of the companies surveyed for misuse of the Internet, and 25% have terminated employees for misusing e-mail.
As of 2005, fully 76% are monitoring employees’ website connections and are blocking inappropriate web URL's. Employers track content, keystrokes, and time spent at the keyboards. e-Mail is under scrutiny with 55% of those surveyed storing and reviewing messages.
Morale and Big Brother
But the question becomes, is high surveillance really counterproductive? What happens to employee productivity when management decides to tightly monitor Internet use and computer resources?
The answer to that question appears to be: tight Internet monitoring as well as punitive use of the results may have severely deleterious results.
In an April 2003 article on Medzilla.com, a leading recruiter for the Medical Profession, Dr. Frank Heasley, was quoted as saying "Excessive monitoring of employees' Internet activities is damaging for morale. It signals that the employer doesn't trust its staff, and it sends the message that the employer thinks that any activity that cannot be directly attributed to 'work' is simply goofing off."
He goes on to say it is seriously "demotivating and ultimately will stifle creativity and damage productivity."
Toward Internet Enlightenment...
Today, employers find themselves caught between two extreme and opposing points of view. Both are fraught with peril.
The first viewpoint involves defining strict policies of Internet and email use, close monitoring, and exacting punitive measures when the policy is violated. The second is to allow virtually unrestricted use of Internet and email resources; a “laid back” approach that might encourage dangerous employee abuse.
If Dr. Heasley is to be believed, the first is damaging to morale, and could ultimately result in a serious loss of resources (as employees leave the company in protest) and a diminishment of productivity as work slows down because of lack of motivation and unrest.
The second can produce a "free for all" situation in which company privacy can be seriously violated.
Somewhere between these two extremes lies an approach that protects company assets but at the same time allows enough freedom for the employee to feel she is not placed on some sort of "short -- and intellectually strangling -- leash".
One needs a policy that protects the company and creates an intellectually free atmosphere of company loyalty, creativity, and high productivity.
“I kind of feel like, someone is watching me...”
Although 80% of all employers surveyed say they notify employees that they are being monitored, it is not clear how much of a deterrent to private Internet and email use and abuse this truly is.
The fact that an employee “intellectually” knows the company is surveying its staff translates into, "Yeah, but there are so many employees they'll never notice me, and besides what I’m doing isn’t that big a deal."
The employee will go on personally using the Internet until the day she suddenly finds herself in her boss' office discovering that her web and email use has been tracked, and she is about to be escorted off the premises.
In addition, unfair and inconsistent application of policies and discipline leads to morale problems. While one employee, known to be a productive worker and highly valued for her skills, is allowed to go shopping on line, another worker is disciplined for it.
If you think that policies applied unfairly or inconsistently are not noticed (and resented) by the workforce, think again.
Practices like these translate into low morale, low produc
Imagining your personal time management strategy can seem like a difficult and grueling task, but the results are well worth the effort when you discover that the key to life is knowing when to work, when to play, and when to do a bit of both. Life is all about balance, so learning a time management strategy that enables you to have that balance is a good thing that can be discovered through education and practice. Find out what works for you in your daily routine and find your own time management strategy.Work IdeasLearning to equalize your work day can be a complicated and hard task that might cause you to cringe or hide yourself, but trust me: at the end, you will come out to be a more efficient worker and have a better and more productive life. There is no denying that putting to use the simple skill of time allocation and translating it to sperate tasks saves a lot of stress at work and saving stress at work means a ,ore enjoyable life outside of work.Arranging your tasks in easy to understand calendars or spreadsheet is a great way to see what needs to be completed and on the first day you should make a pact to follow it to the end. The calendar will help you plan out a weekly work schedule by which you can complete your work quickly and impress your bosses and your co-workers. They will be happy you delivered the completed file on time, and you don't have to let them know about your time
As of 2005, fully 76% are monitoring employees’ website connections and are blocking inappropriate web URL's. Employers track content, keystrokes, and time spent at the keyboards. e-Mail is under scrutiny with 55% of those surveyed storing and reviewing messages.
Morale and Big Brother
But the question becomes, is high surveillance really counterproductive? What happens to employee productivity when management decides to tightly monitor Internet use and computer resources?
The answer to that question appears to be: tight Internet monitoring as well as punitive use of the results may have severely deleterious results.
In an April 2003 article on Medzilla.com, a leading recruiter for the Medical Profession, Dr. Frank Heasley, was quoted as saying "Excessive monitoring of employees' Internet activities is damaging for morale. It signals that the employer doesn't trust its staff, and it sends the message that the employer thinks that any activity that cannot be directly attributed to 'work' is simply goofing off."
He goes on to say it is seriously "demotivating and ultimately will stifle creativity and damage productivity."
Toward Internet Enlightenment...
Today, employers find themselves caught between two extreme and opposing points of view. Both are fraught with peril.
The first viewpoint involves defining strict policies of Internet and email use, close monitoring, and exacting punitive measures when the policy is violated. The second is to allow virtually unrestricted use of Internet and email resources; a “laid back” approach that might encourage dangerous employee abuse.
If Dr. Heasley is to be believed, the first is damaging to morale, and could ultimately result in a serious loss of resources (as employees leave the company in protest) and a diminishment of productivity as work slows down because of lack of motivation and unrest.
The second can produce a "free for all" situation in which company privacy can be seriously violated.
Somewhere between these two extremes lies an approach that protects company assets but at the same time allows enough freedom for the employee to feel she is not placed on some sort of "short -- and intellectually strangling -- leash".
One needs a policy that protects the company and creates an intellectually free atmosphere of company loyalty, creativity, and high productivity.
“I kind of feel like, someone is watching me...”
Although 80% of all employers surveyed say they notify employees that they are being monitored, it is not clear how much of a deterrent to private Internet and email use and abuse this truly is.
The fact that an employee “intellectually” knows the company is surveying its staff translates into, "Yeah, but there are so many employees they'll never notice me, and besides what I’m doing isn’t that big a deal."
The employee will go on personally using the Internet until the day she suddenly finds herself in her boss' office discovering that her web and email use has been tracked, and she is about to be escorted off the premises.
In addition, unfair and inconsistent application of policies and discipline leads to morale problems. While one employee, known to be a productive worker and highly valued for her skills, is allowed to go shopping on line, another worker is disciplined for it.
If you think that policies applied unfairly or inconsistently are not noticed (and resented) by the workforce, think again.
Practices like these translate into low morale, low produc
What is it that has set the great leaders and entrepreneurs of the world apart from the rest of the world? You know what I’m talking about- the truly remarkable ones that have made their mark on the world. Sam Walton didn’t create the Wal-Mart Empire overnight, and he certainly didn’t do it alone. He had a group of quality employees working for him, a group that both respected and admired Mr. Walton and of his accomplishments. He is a prime example of possessing the right leadership styles and skills to get the job done, and created and kingdom in the process.Of course, success means different things to different people; therefore the personal definition of leadership must also be different. The dictionary lists the word “leadership” as the ability to or the activity of leading. Ronald Reagan, one of the most respected presidents that the United States ever had (with one of the highest approval ratings to boot), watched a nation suffer with double digit unemployment for years. Napoleon was a great leader, and so was Attila the Hun, but neither of them was liked very much by those they led, but were either respected or frightened into following as they did. “Ruling with an iron fist” is what these gents did best, but this means demanding respect as a form of leadership is not the best way for everyone. You need to find what will work best for you, your needs and your goals. The big trick is to find them.b>Toward Internet Enlightenment...
Today, employers find themselves caught between two extreme and opposing points of view. Both are fraught with peril.
The first viewpoint involves defining strict policies of Internet and email use, close monitoring, and exacting punitive measures when the policy is violated. The second is to allow virtually unrestricted use of Internet and email resources; a “laid back” approach that might encourage dangerous employee abuse.
If Dr. Heasley is to be believed, the first is damaging to morale, and could ultimately result in a serious loss of resources (as employees leave the company in protest) and a diminishment of productivity as work slows down because of lack of motivation and unrest.
The second can produce a "free for all" situation in which company privacy can be seriously violated.
Somewhere between these two extremes lies an approach that protects company assets but at the same time allows enough freedom for the employee to feel she is not placed on some sort of "short -- and intellectually strangling -- leash".
One needs a policy that protects the company and creates an intellectually free atmosphere of company loyalty, creativity, and high productivity.
“I kind of feel like, someone is watching me...”
Although 80% of all employers surveyed say they notify employees that they are being monitored, it is not clear how much of a deterrent to private Internet and email use and abuse this truly is.
The fact that an employee “intellectually” knows the company is surveying its staff translates into, "Yeah, but there are so many employees they'll never notice me, and besides what I’m doing isn’t that big a deal."
The employee will go on personally using the Internet until the day she suddenly finds herself in her boss' office discovering that her web and email use has been tracked, and she is about to be escorted off the premises.
In addition, unfair and inconsistent application of policies and discipline leads to morale problems. While one employee, known to be a productive worker and highly valued for her skills, is allowed to go shopping on line, another worker is disciplined for it.
If you think that policies applied unfairly or inconsistently are not noticed (and resented) by the workforce, think again.
Practices like these translate into low morale, low produc
A job interview can be an adventure. You have the opportunity to learn about new companies, new positions, and network with new people. The first step is to equalize the power. And that involves an attitude adjustment. The power should be 50-50. The interviewer is sizing you up AND you're sizing up the company. Don't give all the power to the interviewer. You decide if the company meets your criteria. Once you've balanced the power, here are some tips for presenting a positive image:Prepare and rehearse. Anticipate difficult questions and prepare a strategy for answering them. Practice your answers out loud until you feel confident.Know your message. What are your top three strengths, abilities and accomplishments? Know them cold and be able to back them up with examples.Give a firm handshake. This is your first impression. A weak handshake creates a negative image, as does a bone crushing grip. A firm handshake combined with direct eye contact spells confidence. The handshake should not differ for men and women. Use the same confident and firm grasp.Create chemistry. Make some small talk to break the ice. Then observe the interviewer and pace his or her energy. Does the interviewer like to get down to business? Then sit up and get to the point. Is he or she a storyteller? Then slow down and give more examples and vignettes. We like people who are most like us. A University or Michigan s
“I kind of feel like, someone is watching me...”
Although 80% of all employers surveyed say they notify employees that they are being monitored, it is not clear how much of a deterrent to private Internet and email use and abuse this truly is.
The fact that an employee “intellectually” knows the company is surveying its staff translates into, "Yeah, but there are so many employees they'll never notice me, and besides what I’m doing isn’t that big a deal."
The employee will go on personally using the Internet until the day she suddenly finds herself in her boss' office discovering that her web and email use has been tracked, and she is about to be escorted off the premises.
In addition, unfair and inconsistent application of policies and discipline leads to morale problems. While one employee, known to be a productive worker and highly valued for her skills, is allowed to go shopping on line, another worker is disciplined for it.
If you think that policies applied unfairly or inconsistently are not noticed (and resented) by the workforce, think again.
Practices like these translate into low morale, low productivity, and in extreme cases...lawsuits.
Toward an Alternate Internet Policy
How, then, can an Alternate Internet Policy be developed, one that boosts morale, encourages productivity and still protects the company from time and resource waste, compromise, and exposure to lawsuits?
To develop such a policy, Company Executives need to consider and do the following:
1) Implement a consistent surveillance program that uses software capable of recording and logging email messages, sites and chat rooms visited, time spent on sites, and Internet message and chat room conversations.
2) Define what "reasonable use" is and what can and can not be tolerated. Are 10 - 15 minutes spent checking company and private email, shopping online, or paying bills ok? Is this to be distinguished from a five hour online video game session which may use up considerable bandwidth during times when the client is uploading data?
3) Determine whether email conversations between friends, or even between clandestine lovers, are as serious and worthy of attention as email sent out to encourage revolt against the boss, disparage a fellow coworker or divulge private company information.
4) Establish a written policy of Internet, email and phone usage. Define disciplinary steps and measures which will modify employee behavior, rather than punish it.
5) Inform employees of the policy and state plainly that they are under surveillance. State clearly that Company Management is not looking for occasional violators, but serious abusers and define what serious abuse is.
6) Be prepared for the Internet addict. The Internet is a seriously addicting environment. For some it is like placing an alcoholic in front of a cabinet of booze. Before firing a productive employee, try to work with that individual to overcome his/her addiction. Perhaps removing the Internet from their computer altogether is the solution.
7) For a very small company with a tight budget, perhaps having one computer with Internet access and installed surveillance software is the solution. The computer can be clearly marked with a warning sign that Internet usage is monitored. Abuse of the Internet is less likely to occur when its usage is public, and not private at the employee’s desk.
You are probably already saying, "We've already done this." I would, however, like to take this one step further -- make Internet and email use part of the employees’ Performance Review.
The Internet Usage Review
A Performance Review usually covers many different aspects of the employee’s performance throughout the year and grades her on whether or not she "met or exceeded expectations."
There are certain expectations of how an employee makes use of his or her time, and that usage includes that of the Internet and email. A report in hard copy routinely presented to the employee at Review Time along with a performance grade of the time spent on the Internet can be effective.
Most modern surveillance programs not only log the sites visited but the time spent on those sites. An employee can be shown in black and white how much time she is spending on sites unrelated to her job. Inappropriate sites visited by the employee will be clearly – and glaringly -- displayed.
To the employee's surprise, a "meets expectations" can be granted to a certain amount of personal Internet use with little comment by the supervisor. The Review can proceed to recognizing actual contributions and productivity.
Such an approach is a way to remind the employee that Management is indeed monitoring Internet activity, but is displaying a certain degree of tolerance of its use. If handled correctly, the Internet can come to be regarded as a "perk" or "gift" from Management. An approach such as this can actually boost morale.
Employees found to be wasting a great deal of time on unauthorized, band-width sapping activity, visiting inappropriate sites, or giving out company information in IM messages or emails should be confronted long before the year-end review -- within the first day or two that the activity is noticed. This sort of activity would not be tolerated long enough to reach review time.
A consistent, fair, and generous Internet policy will boost morale and productivity.
A Management that is fair, even-handed, and generous (within reason) of company resources in the long run will out-compete its competitors. This attitude will translate into lower turn-over and higher productivity.
A relatively generous and enlightened Internet and e-mail policy, applied fairly but with caution, will signal the work force that Management is watching but is still a benevolent and somewhat tolerant “Big Brother”, or maybe a “Big Uncle”.
Clear defi
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