Managers and IT professionals in Brazil are constantly searching for ways to block websites on company computers and devices. It's no wonder, after all, according to a study , it takes Brazilian workers one hour to do what an American does in 15 minutes.
The low quality of life, poor mobility, low education and some other factors help to explain this Brazilian reality.
However, in offices with computers connected to the internet, the determining factor for low productivity may be something else: distractions on entertainment sites, social networks, videos, games or instant messaging applications.
In this article, I'll highlight which categories of websites and a short list of some that should be blocked in the company to increase productivity in the workplace.
Why know which sites to block?
A study conducted this year found that Brazilians spend an average of 3 hours and 31 minutes per day on social media. And that's just social media! Not to mention other messaging, gaming, music, video, and other daily apps.
Considering all the websites and applications that can be accessed daily, the amount of time spent online at work can seriously compromise an employee's productivity and focus.
Therefore, blocking websites based on your needs and the company's sector is crucial. Always consider the possibility of using a website for professional purposes, such as communications companies, which rely on social media for daily work and information retrieval.
Which categories of websites can be blocked in the company and why?
Several categories of websites can be blocked in companies seeking to increase employee productivity. However, as we saw previously, it's important to consider whether this category is not used as a work tool by the employee or the department in question.
Below, you'll see the categories most frequently blocked by companies and the main reasons for blocking them.
1. Social networks
As we saw in the research at the beginning of this article, social media is perhaps one of the biggest culprits of time-wasting in the workplace. It causes distractions and distractions for long periods due to the habit of checking updates, which has been exacerbated by social isolation.
In addition, there are several cyberattacks that use social networks as a means of propagation, such as Malvertising , the attack of advertisements and announcements.
According to a survey from last year, the most accessed social networks in the world are:
- Snapchat
These are perhaps the social networks that should be on your company's blocked access list.
2. Games and betting
Unlike the past decade, games are now very common and easily accessible, without the need for physical purchases. Many of them are free and online, with daily competitions and attractions in an attempt to keep players online all the time.
According to the Game Brasil 2020 survey , 73.4% of Brazilians play electronic games and, as you can imagine, gaming and betting sites consume a lot of employees' attention during working hours, especially if they have unlimited access to the company's internet network and, in some cases, their personal cell phone.
There are several game sites on the internet, including pages with titles like: “ LONG LIVE PROCRASTINATION! ONLINE GAME TO PLAY AT WORK ”, “ Kill Time at the Office ” and “ 9 games to procrastinate (and pretend you’re working) ”.
There are many options, but blocking only specific sites can make this task somewhat arduous and time-consuming. Ideally, you'd use tools that block entire categories, ensuring that no site within that category can be accessed during work hours. We'll discuss this further later.
3. Pornography
It seems unimaginable, but this type of material is also consumed in the workplace. I believe there's no need to explain why access to this type of content should be blocked in a company when employee productivity is the key factor.
Speaking of company data security, this type of content can be very dangerous and deserves some of your reading time.
Adult content sites are loaded with malware, pop-ups with harmful content, and malicious links.
Without any type of blocking of this content, the company's confidential and sensitive data may be at the mercy of various cyberattacks.
It's also worth noting that there are thousands of websites with this content. The websites listed here are unlikely to be the only access options for employees at work. Therefore, category blocking tools can be very useful in this case.
In Brazil, the best known are:
- Pornhub.com
- Sexy Hot
- Xvideos.com
- Cameraprive.com
- Loupan Productions
- Pov Brazil
- Brazilian Porn TV
- Camera Hot
- Little Brazilians
- Xnudes
4. Video and music
Websites for watching movies, TV shows, videos, and music are among the most popular worldwide. It's no surprise that they're responsible for distracting employees and causing productivity losses.
Sites in this category are among those that should be blocked in many organizations.
Below, I've listed the top video and music channels on the internet today.
- Youtube
- Netflix
- Amazon Prime Video
- HBO Go
- Spotify
- Youtube Music
- Deezer
5. Specific sites
It's natural for specific websites to exist, either locally or for the company's target audience. Blocking these sites can help improve team productivity if they're identified as causing employees to lack focus during work hours.
Among the most common are local news sites, from the city or region, as well as betting and city events sites, where information may be relevant to employees, but is not related to their daily tasks at the company.
How to block websites easily, effectively and safely?
Configuring browsers, editing hosts, and using extensions are all useful ways to block websites in your company. However, like almost everything in the life of a manager or IT professional within a company, it's not "that simple." These blocking methods aren't practical for an office with multiple devices and are easy to bypass.
But rest assured, there is an easier and faster way to control internet access, blocking entire categories of websites and managing connections on the company network more securely.
To provide valuable and useful information for managers and IT professionals concerned about wasted time in their companies, we have created a specific website on the topic that answers almost all questions: www.comobloquearsite.com .
Additionally, you can see a step-by-step guide to the management process in the Internet Access Control Guide for Companies .
On the website you will find various information such as:
- Why block websites in the company?
- When to block websites in the company?
- Who needs to block websites?
- Cost or investment?
- Material to test your internet security
- What sites can I block?
- How to block websites?
Conclusion
Maintaining employee productivity and data security in offices is a task that often goes hand in hand with website blocking in the corporate environment.
Knowing which categories and websites to block in your company is important to define what is productive and what is not.
Until next time!
