Websense Web Filtering - Does It Really Increase Productivity?

Companies like Websense market their web filtering software in order to corporate clients. Their marketing materials is pointing out how much efficiency is lost due to employees delicately surfing the web while at work. Along with Websense software corporations are able to limit web surfing to certain sites and put monitoring in place. This allows to safeguard the corporations from malicious infections entering the network from untrusted websites and to limit the overall Web activity of employees to business associated websites or to restrict the time a person spends surfing the web to a specific amount of time.

But do very tight Websense rules really increase efficiency? How much restricting web usage is absolutely good or when does it can even make the opposite come true?

Everyone does it. All of us surf the web at work to take care of ordering the late Christmas present or to examine the news real quick. Everyone has to take a break every once in a while to get the mind cleared out and to go back to utilize a fresh start. And that kind of internet surfing is Ok.

But exactly what would happen if you can no longer visit Amazon . com. com or your local news web site to check the weather forecast? It would be really frustrating. The more restrictive web blocking becomes the more can it cause tremendous grief for an employee. Some of us employees function 10-12 hours (or more) each day to get the job done. You love to work and you like the company you work for. The people great and the office is nice. Great you can no longer take care of those little things like ordering flowers for your spouse or girlfriend on the last minute since you forgot the anniversary or purchase a present with next day delivery pertaining to Uncle Joe. You had forgotten their 70th birthday until your wife known as you this morning at work. What do you do at this point?

You can opt for letting things slide and place the order when you return home but then it might be too late for the purchase to be delivered the next day. Or you depart early from work to take associated with things yourself from home or you shop and ship the items the same time yourself. This still works however it becomes inconvenient. You give up very own free time and work unpaid overtime to get the job done just to be kicked within the back when it comes to ask for a small (almost unnoticed) favor in return.

If the limitations on web usage become too limited a company can actually destroy motivation as well as the feeling that people like to go to function. If you do not feel comfortable going to work any more because you feel being spied upon, your productivity will go down. If you fail to at least do the occasional Internet things anymore you might feel frustrated and inquire yourself why waste valuable time upon unpaid overtime in return. Companies need to revisit their web usage guidelines quite often and re-evaluate how much internet monitoring and filtering is really required. A survey about potential internet usage and web usage guidelines can provide valuable feedback and a well-tuned Websense policy in place can satisfy both parties involved: the hard working worker and the employer trying to maximize efficiency.