Productivity virus is all around you at work

Vishnu K. Mahmud, Contributor, Jakarta

With the Internet entering offices all over the world, businesses should be wary of the productivity virus. This is not one of those digital programs that can wreak havoc on computers, erasing data and disrupting internal networks. This one effects your employees: a virus that gives them something to do other then work.

The Internet is full of worthwhile (and totally useless) distractions. First and foremost are news sites. Having continuous access to CNN.com or Detik.com may provide beneficial information to help in the decision-making process, but reading late-breaking news about a starlet's divorce does not an efficient office make.

Worse, with the World Cup in full swing, people looking for up to the minute scores (those without a TV in the office) will be going to various sporting (and perhaps gambling?) sites.

Some sites even offer a basic play-by-play text-cast of the games. Live Score (www.livescore.com) is one such site that football fanatics will love.

Chatting online is another example of loss productivity. With a spate of groupware and instant messaging software, people are able to be in constant contact with each other to help manage projects, collaborate on documents and make decisions. Of course, they can also talk about the football match, celebrity gossip as well as other nonoffice related topics.

Games are perhaps the biggest bane for corporate Internet access. Although it is rare to find company computers with games installed from a CD, the Internet has a ton of downloadable games. These include simple games like chess and Tetris to the latest demo of the fast-paced Quake 3 gorefest. Some websites even has games that can be played online with other users, providing an interactive multiplayer entertainment environment. Both Yahoo (games.yahoo.com/) and MSN (zone.msn.com/) have a cache of games that can sooth the most stressful of situations.

Web comics are a small but rapidly growing segment of the Web browsing experience. Those who love Dilbert or Charlie Brown can find cyberspace alternatives that are just as funny.

Each Web comic has its own charm and story line that practically guarantees readers will come back each day for their daily fix. Not only can people read the daily comic, but also peruse a year's worth of story lines in the archives. Some of the more popular Web comics include Sinfest (www.sinfest.net), UserFriendly (www.userfriendly.org) and Schlock Mercenary ( www.schlockmercenary.com).

Everyone knows sex sells, and on the Internet it's a multibillion dollar business. The ultimate productivity killer, there are literally millions of sites that offer photos, movies, stories and other questionable products. What's worse, many porn sites piggyback a variety of viruses and Trojan horse programs that can take over an unsuspecting user's computer. Some sites automatically download files that the user may inadvertently double-click. A big danger for the corporate network!

So how can you fight all this? The productivity virus (like a regular computer virus) can be stopped at the hardware level via the server or router, where the office is connected to the Net. The Information Technology (IT) department can set up proxies, firewalls and/or gateways to filter out any objectionable material. It can also allow certain users Internet access, leaving others only the privilege of sharing files within the internal network.

But don't rely on hardware alone. Each office should have a set policy and procedures for corporate Web access. The management should set strict guidelines and diligently enforce them. It is useless to have laws if no one makes sure everyone follows them.

The productivity virus may be a good reason for not having an Internet connection in the office. But don't ignore the benefits of corporate Net access: fast and efficient intra-corporate communications between management and satellite offices; quick and effective online group collaboration; the ability to obtain the latest information at the touch of a keyboard for making the best decisions; and so on.

With the Internet in the office, companies will be able to go forward into the new millennium armed with the latest information, data and skills. The other choice is to stay on the sidelines, watching others pass you by. As with every business decision, before making a selection it would be wise to research and prepare for it. Don't connect to the Web without a safety net.