Younger workers get web fix at work

Younger workers have a web-obsession, and it's spilling into their work day, according to a new survey.

The poll of 1,000 office workers by Telindus, a network solutions provider, found that almost eighty per cent of 18-24 year olds visit social networking websites while at work. Some 63 per cent download music, and 58 per cent watch YouTube when they're supposed to be toiling away.

Some office managers have considered banning or limiting personal internet use, but fear a decrease in employee morale - and apparently rightly so. 39 per cent of the 18-24 year olds responded that they would consider leaving a company if a policy limiting internet access was introduced.

"This draconian approach will result in unhappy staff as they won't feel trusted and resentment towards the management team will develop," said Telindus' managing director Mark Hutchinson.

Older generations appear less concerned about restrictions on internet access, with only 16 percent of 25-65+ year olds saying they would consider leaving a company due to limitations on personal internet usage.

Many respondents said it would be better to limit the usage to lunch or after-hours rather than restrict it altogether.

In addition, the survey asked if workers would use a separate workstation dedicated to personal use if access was restricted, and nearly forty per cent of all respondents said they would use it once or twice a day, while a further 23 per cent said they would use it once a week. But 13 per cent said they would not use it.

"Banning internet access for personal use in the office is not the answer," said Hutchinson. "It all comes down to trust between the employer and the employees and gaining a healthy balance. Employers have to appreciate that the younger generation are now using communication tools more effectively and banning the internet for personal use will simply drive it underground."

The struggle between employee morale and company resources is difficult for many office managers.

The use of sites like YouTube, as well as music downloading, has created problems with bandwidth availability in offices. According to the study's research, downloading one half-hour TV show consumes more bandwidth than receiving 200 e-mails a day for an entire year.

"If a lot of employees use applications such as YouTube and download music at the same time, the speed of the network and people's ability to access business-critical applications would be affected," Hutchinson said.