Protecting productivity
The Herald Bulletin
March 19, 2011
Protecting productivity
Companies adjusting policies governing employee Internet usage as technology changes
By Abbey Doyle
The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON, Ind. — With March Madness in full swing and bracket contests at stake, some employers fear productivity may be affected by increased Internet usage. And social networking sites like Facebook have also caused some businesses to take another look at their policies in place to monitor web usage.
Madison County Commissioner John Richwine said the county has a policy regarding Internet usage in their policy handbook that all employees sign off on. But the county is in the process of updating that policy to bring it more in line with modern technology. That new policy, he said, should go before the commissioners soon.
The new policy essentially would require users to enter a password if they are trying to enter a site that is deemed questionable. The employee or elected official is then acknowledging that they know what they are doing and that it is work-related.
Currently the county’s information technology services can track Internet usage, and if a supervisor feels that usage is affecting productivity, ITS can generate a report to give to the supervisor, Richwine said.
“There is no question that it can and does affect productivity,” he said. “Just like any other business, we have issues with that. There are guidelines and employees know what they should and shouldn’t do. I think anywhere that has a number of (personal computers) like we do, you need to have proper protocol in place to help make employees as productive as possible.”
Katy Harrison Troxell, director of marketing and community relations at Community Hospital Anderson, said technology and access to computers is essential in the highly digital and fast-paced health care environment. Community has 1,000 computers the hospital and long term care employees, and the number grows to 1,200 if you factor in physicians.
Troxell said they have many steps in place to ensure appropriate usage so that employees’ main focus remains on patient care, including a proxy server, which filters what an employee can access.
As far as concern with staff spending too much on social networking sites or checking fantasy sports teams, Troxell said it isn’t much of an issue.
“Our staff with direct patient care is so busy that this isn’t an issue,” she said. “We do employ a large number of employees with desk jobs, and while we have an appropriate usage policy that states you can’t use the Internet for reasons other than your job, it is ultimately the manager’s responsibility to make sure work is not being compromised due to online distractions. There are systems in place where we could pull an employee’s activity if there was a reason to monitor.”
The hospital has a specific social media policy, which is in place, No. 1, for patient privacy. There is zero tolerance for posting inappropriate or private information.
Anderson spokeswoman Tammy Bowman said, like Madison County, the city has a policy spelled out in the employee handbook.
“When it was written, that mainly meant phone and computer, it was before the social networking era,” she said.
The city’s computers have pretty strong filters, Bowman said, sometimes so much so that it limits access to needed items. Communication between Hoosier Park Racing and Casino can sometimes be hampered by the gambling filter the computers have, Bowman said. But the filters can be modified or reduced to allow city employees to do their jobs.
Darla Forney, vice president of human resources and finance for Anderson’s Unified Group Services, said Internet use in today’s society is as common as using the telephone, texting and driving.
“It can be a powerful tool and a wonderful resource,” she said. “However, from an employer’s perspective it can also be a huge distraction during the workday.”
Unified has a software program that monitors Internet use and can provide details on each person’s utilization and can literally track down to the second the time spent on each site, Forney said. The company uses this software daily to gauge the activity of web usage and have the ability to block targeted web sites, which the company imposes as necessary.
“We do understand that many employees may possibly need to check certain web sites, such as checking a bank balance, their child’s school website, look up a telephone number, etc,” she said. “We do not impose restrictions on our employees’ accessing those sites on an occasional basis. But, as we know, it’s easy to get caught up drifting from one place to another and spending more time than originally intended. That is why we have these tools available; just in case someone struggles with restricting their use of the Internet.”
The Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently released a new guide to help businesses responsibly tracking workers’ use of company electronics and the Internet — the third edition of the Indiana Employer’s Guide to Monitoring Electronic Technology in the Workplace.
Madison County Chamber President Kyle Morey said Internet usage polices should depend on the focus and industry of the employer.
“Chamber employees are constantly grooming the web for ideas and measurement tools to use to promote our business community,” he said. “However, it will never take the place of face to face. Companies should put policies in place based on efficiency.”
Contact Abbey Doyle, 640-4805, abbey.doyle@heraldbulletin.com.
