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Internet misuse is costing UK businesses more than STG9.6 billion a year in lost productivity, according to Websense.
In a survey conducted by Web@Work on behalf of Websense it was revealed that 44 percent of Web-enabled employees are spending an average of three hours a week perusing personal sites at work.
Additionally, the figure for lost productivity is a conservative number if employers also take into account bandwidth loss, storage costs, and the human resource costs of free and open Internet access at work, according to Douglas Wride, chief financial officer at Websense.
The estimated loss in productivity is based on the survey findings combined with an average UK working year of 45 weeks and a current average non-manual salary of STG11.88 per hour, according to Websense.
Other findings of the survey said that one in three of those interviewed believed that work colleagues did not like their use of the Internet for non-work related purposes. In addition, 89 percent of those interviewed said that they found the Internet to be addictive.
The survey findings show that although the Internet is a productivity tool, it is now also considered to be a drain on productivity if not managed effectively by employers, said Websense.
The Internet today has many more distractions than before, and people who want to download certain sites can only do so at work, where they have T1 and T2 connections, said Johanna Severinsson, marketing manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa at Websense.
Websense also reported that employers need not have any concerns about introducing Internet usage policies or productivity software as the survey also found that 82 percent of respondents favour employers managing employee Internet access.
Companies need to decide for themselves how to strike the balance between personal and work-related use of the Internet, said Severinsson.
In addition, companies need to be aware of the work habits of their employees, she said.
The Web@Work survey consisted of interviews with 800 workers in a range of UK businesses with 50 or more employees in April 2001.
Websense provides employee Internet management solutions for businesses. The company was founded in 1994 and has over 14,000 customers worldwide.
Websense is at http://www.websense.com.
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