In order to rectify this situation, Price suggests better policies of Internet abuse.
Price's article has stunning implications for the human relations concept of training and development. In order to train employees and develop Internet abuse policies, management will have to consider the special nature of the matter. That is, while most employees would know that reading a book, doing their nails, or working on their novels on company time is wrong, they do not necessarily see using the Internet for personal reasons in the same light. Perhaps it is because they use the Internet to check personal information in short bursts. Perhaps it is because the Internet, like the telephone, is a communication device, so they feel as if a restricted policy is somehow trapping them or imposing on their constitutional rights. Further, just as most employees are permitted to make short personal calls on their office phones, they may feel that they can use the Internet just to stay in touch.
In order to deal with this problem, an effective training and development policy will teach employees that misuse of the company's Internet access is the same as the misuse of other company assets. An effective employee training program will show employees that the use of social networking sites, personal e-mail, and media sites on company time is harmful from the company, and while different than the offensive of visiting inappropriate web sites using the company's Internet connection, still an abuse of company assets. Heathfield (2009) notes that a policy can be implemented...
Certainly, this situation suggests confusion in many companies.
Combining this course of teaching with a training and development policy that instituted an affective monitoring system would be most effective. By installing a monitoring system, employees will know that the management is serious about the new policy. In addition, this will send the message that the company is being truthful when management relays the harm of Internet abuse to the organization. Effective monitoring, followed by discipline for those who do not abide by the new policy, can help to institute a new system of behavior in the organizations.
In summary, Price's article uses numbers to communicate the extent of the Internet abuse problem in the United States and United Kingdom. An emphasis is placed on social networking sites, which are often abused at work. The situation described in Price's article has implications for the training and development concept of human resource management. Effective training on an Internet abuse policy, paired with affective monitoring, could solve this problem.
References
Heathfield, S.M. (2009). How to develop a policy? Retrieved March 14, 2009, from About.com. Web Site: http://humanresources.about.com/od/policiesandsamples1/a/how_to_policy.htm
Price, Alan. (2008, Nov. 4). Employees Addicted to Social Networking Sites. Retreived March 15, 2009, from HRM Guide. Web Site: http://www.hrmguide.net/usa/general/web_addict.htm
