There are many things businesses have to worry about in the online age. But not all of these things concern external forces. Sometimes, the problems are found within company Internet usage itself! Here are common web-based problems many offices face. Don’t let them fester in your office!
Filters and blocked websites
I think this is a situation we’ve all been in. For whatever reason, the higher-ups have ensured that only work-relevant websites can be viewed in the office. This can be a bit of a pain, especially when so many businesses require data from a variety of websites. But during office breaks, it can be even more frustrating. People like to check out their favorite websites on their break, or to spend some time on social media.
Perhaps one of the reasons that a lot of employees really hate this is because it sends the message that you don’t trust them. If it’s something that you absolutely have to implement, then it should be on the basis of hard evidence. Can you prove that blocking websites actually helps people concentrate? Have you experienced a reduced productivity when employees could visit whatever website they wanted? If you’re able to back up your concerns with data you got from this workplace, then employees will be much more understanding.
Speed woes
Office Internet filters are definitely going down in popularity. The last couple of offices I’ve worked in had no such filter in place. But one thing that is definitely still commonplace in the modern office? Appalling Internet speeds. It seems like there’s no excuse for slow Internet these days, but many workplaces still don’t seem to have caught up.
To be fair, this issue is often a bit more complex than it sounds. For sure, there are many small businesses who are trying to save money with less flashy Internet connections. And when there are so many people using the same connection, the speed isn’t always going to be perfect. But there’s no denying that some business owners simply can’t be bothered to invest in better Internet. In many cases, it might be believed that fibre-optic Internet is too expensive. It might be worth checking out some Fios deals if that’s the case for you.
Distractions
There’s no question that business owners sometimes get a bit overzealous when it comes to web filters at work. This rings especially true when you remember that mobile phones make it so easy to access these sorts of websites anyway, using mobile data. But there’s also no doubt that there are some employees out there that do get distracted by the Internet!
Most employees will be fine if allowed to work with a network without web restrictions. But there are people who can’t seem to stay away from the likes of Facebook and Twitter. If you’ve got some of these types in your office, talk to them. Don’t start banning social media sites right away. Get to know why they’re spending so much time on social media. Odd as it sounds, sometimes co-workers use social media to speak to each other! In which case, they might not be as distracted as you think.
