You’ve probably caught an employee or two using the computer for things they shouldn’t be using it for at work. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram – these are all websites that will steal half an hour of time without a second glance at the clock. The fact is that they are too dangerous to allow without restraints at work. Here are a couple of ways to regain control today.
Manage Employee's Performance
Employees who have a lot to do are less likely to stray from work by heading onto Facebook or another distracting social media platform while at work. Design a performance management process to help ensure that your employees all have comprehensive job descriptions, goals, and performance expectations. If employees are playing around, they either a) don't have enough to do, b) aren't being managed properly or c) aren't managing themselves properly. Eliminate the first two to help most employees stay on track. Help your managers help your employees by training with them. Teach them how to get the most out of the people they are managing.
Install a Filter
Filters are fairly cheap and effective ways of managing social media use (and other website use, too). There are some filters that allow you to watch the activity on each and every computer in your office without anyone knowing that you are. You can even send notes to employees that you see are off task, and you can take screen shots of off-task projects to discuss later with the employee. Some programs even allow you to lock the screens or limit the Internet access of computers that are doing things that aren’t allowed at work. Many are designed to use in school computer labs and have controls that any boss would appreciate. Check out the filter market for computers and see which would be best for you.
