Source: salary.com
The other day at the dermalogist, the staff sat there on a personal phone call, at the 7-11 the clerk ignored me while on a personal phone call. As a consumer- I hate that- we pay higher prices due to lost productively, as a manager- it annoys me to no end that my staff is conducting personal business on my dime.
Eye Bogglers
- The Boston Globe and Denver Post recently reported that US companies lose nearly $400 billion per year in lost productively due to ‘time theft’ or loafing
- As the graphic shows, 64% of respondents report wasting one hour or less each day at work, which is, let’s say “acceptable”. 22% waste approximately 2 hours daily, and 14% waste 3 or more hours each workday.
- The primary-time wasting activity is surfing the Web (with 48%) followed by socializing with co-workers (33%).
- 30% waste time by conducting personal business
- 19% waste time by personal phone calls
- 15% waste time by taking long lunch breaks.
- 8% of companies have dismissed employees because of sites such as LinkedIn and FaceBook See Note to Self Talking About Your Boss on Facebook. (True Story)
Not only that- but it is demoralizing to other non- time stealing employees when someone else is not doing their work and wasting time. I have known good hard working people who have left their jobs due to others not doing their job.
How to Resolve:
1.) Make sure your company policy- employee manual state clearly the rules and policies of personal phone calls, tardiness and internet use. If employees are using Facebook and Twitter for company business, make sure that is clearly stated.
2.) Have a staff meeting to review and go over all policies and procedures and the reasons for those rules.
3.) If you have set up an Internet monitoring or filtering system- let your staff know. This gives them the responsibility to follow the rules. As an employer you have every right to monitor the Internet, voice mail and phone calls in your office. However under federal law, once an employer knows the call is personal, they cannot monitor the call. The employer has the right to prohibit the dialing and websites of certain phone calls and addresses. (i.e. pornography)
4.) If you have an employee that is not following the rules- speak to them privately.
5.) If an employee is wasting time due to not having enough to do – set up areas of responsibilities. One of the key elements in productivity is job satisfaction. Work with the employee for professional growth.
6.) 25% of employees say they waste time because they are underpaid. OK- Every person is accountable and responsible for their own job satisfaction and growth. If they feel underpaid- then they should address that by increasing job skills or personal growth or rectify that situation with the employer or find a job elsewhere.
7.) Keep employees motivated by giving praise, thanking them for a job well-done- Reward or bonus them for achievement of goals. It is always better to focus on the positive and reward.
Resources
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