Reclaim Your Company's Internet Profits.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

Successful business owners know how important the Internet is to their company's success. From locating new clients to selling goods and services online, the Internet has transformed today's business world.

However, the Internet may also be costing certain business owners more than they realize. While their web site may be making the company money, their employees may be spending their time online at non-work related sites, essentially counteracting any profits that the Internet brings in. For example, if an employee who earns $35,000 annually is spending only 20 percent of his or her time being unproductive on the Internet, that equals $7,000 lost out of your payroll. Now multiply that amount by the number of employees at that salary level who misuse the Internet. Next, add to that figure 20 percent of your organization's share of Social Security payments, unemployment taxes and worker's compensation insurance, and the true amount of money lost can be staggering.

Internet misuse among employees is a growing problem for too many companies. What starts out as innocent fun, such as reading a horoscope, checking the latest sports score or making a quick purchase online, turns into a time trap, with the employee mindlessly clicking from site to site and not producing any kind of meaningful work. As a result, the employee's productivity falls, deadlines are missed and customers become upset. Or even worse, the employee may be giving out company secrets while in a chat room, downloading copyrighted or pornographic material, visiting Internet gambling sites or applying for other jobs. Ultimately, this once profit-generating tool becomes the company's biggest money and time waster.

Fortunately, all is not lost, since most employees who waste work time on the Internet do so unintentionally. The problem is that time passes quickly when you are surfing the Net, and it is easy to fall victim to the "just one more minute" syndrome. While they find it difficult to resist clicking on those flashing banners and brightly colored blinking icons, many workers report feeling guilty or frustrated after discovering they have wasted an hour or more in cyberspace.

If your employees are guilty of Internet misuse, there are solutions to reclaiming this profit-generating tool. The following are four easy ways to eliminate Internet misuse in your organization.

1. Implement an Internet Usage Policy

The first step to eliminating Internet misuse is to implement an Internet usage policy. The purpose is to inform employees of your company's stand on the Internet's use at work and to let your employees know that misuse will not be tolerated. Be sure the policy states all the acceptable and unacceptable uses of the company's Internet and e-mail systems. It should also outline the penalties for Internet misuse. Additionally, the policy should be put in ...