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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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 OPINION 
12

Let Employees Roam the Web

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(Newser) – Protecting against viruses and encouraging productivity is all well and good, Farhad Manjoo writes on Slate, but “locking down” company computers isn’t the way to go about it. Companies that “block the Web and various other online distractions on the theory that a cowed workforce is an efficient one” are actually losing out. Research shows that workers who can surf freely are 9% more productive than those who can't.

“Why?” Manjoo wonders of the study. “Because we aren't robots; people with Web access took short breaks to look online while doing their work, and the distractions kept them sharper than the folks who had no choice but to keep on task.” Firms that focus more on results and less on policing are at the vanguard of tech innovation. If IT wants to stem the virus threat, they can educate workers instead of employing paternalistic tactics. Otherwise, let the mind wander and reap the bounty.

An office computer.
An office computer.   (AP Photo)
Google runs a
Google runs a "results-only workplace environment."   (AP Photo)
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As one locked-down worker told me, blocking parts of the Web "systematically makes the company stupider" about the innovation now flooding into our lives. Systematic stupidity is rarely a plan for success. - Farhad Manjoo

Consider this madness: Even though many companies are now looking to popularize their products or brands using social-networking sites, IT departments routinely restrict access to Facebook, Twitter, and their ilk. - Farhad Manjoo

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12 comments
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Altoecko
Aug 26, 09 4:45 PM CDT
Take Google for example, arguably one of the most successful companies in the world right now and their employees have all sorts of fun and outlets. If you make your employees feel part of a family and are rewarded as such, productivity goes way up. Reply
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Vesper
Aug 27, 09 2:13 AM CDT
Absolutely correct. People respond to expectations. Treat your employees like children and they'll act like children. Treat them like adults--give them respect and responsibility--and you will be rewarded every day with hard work and loyalty. Every boss should learn this; it's simple to understand, easy to implement, and it makes the world a better place for everyone.
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Metal_gear
Aug 26, 09 5:11 PM CDT
If you can't have some fun at work, then why do it? Ive stuck with my job for 5 years b/c they let us do what we want. And you know what? Everything gets done & then some. Reply
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Bryanw55
Aug 26, 09 5:22 PM CDT
And even when you are having all of that fun, you learn things that can be applied to most businesses. Reply
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+4
Derni
Aug 26, 09 7:09 PM CDT
where I work they can film the next Enemy Of The State movie-it was a great place-now new management has killed it-glad I retire soon Reply
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+1

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