How's your business's productivity? It's virtually impossible to find a company that can claim that employee productivity meets your expectations and needs. Therefore, we'll discuss the benefits of blocking websites on the corporate internet.
But what's the relationship between internet access and productivity? Contrary to popular belief, website blocking within a company isn't just about blocking and hiding pornographic or dangerous content. More and more companies are using this strategy to help increase employee productivity and ensure substantial growth.
In addition to benefiting employee productivity and focus, website blocking helps increase information security within your business. This is because there are countless traps and threats in the digital environment that lurk on websites of all types. Blocking certain categories and resources will help your business keep your employees away from these dangers.
Internet x Productivity Relationship
Over the years, the number of people using at least one social network has increased considerably. We now have access to a variety of social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Kawaii, and others. Unauthorized access to these platforms during work hours can completely undermine your employees' productivity.
When it comes to social media access, Brazilians hold a prominent position. According to an article published by Forbes magazine about a survey conducted by Comscore, Brazil ranks third among the largest social media users , ranking first in Latin America.
Research has shown that social media has priority access compared to other types of content, delivering 46 hours of connection per month. And this excess connectivity opens the door to other problems. See this article on the subject:
Knowing that audiences are highly connected on these platforms, brands use social media to promote products and services and increase their profitability. Consequently, scammers and cybercriminals also use these platforms to spread digital threats .
For these reasons, we need to understand the benefits of blocking websites within companies. Besides other tools, social media, when allowed to remain unblocked, can be a real detriment to the business . With so many hours of monthly access to this type of content, how much of that time is actually used in the workplace?
It's naive of managers to imagine that their employees don't use their work hours to access social media. No matter how good your team is, it's natural for workers to take breaks during important tasks to access content on social media. The problem lies in the amount of time spent on these tasks.
While the internet provides solutions and tools aimed at increasing productivity, such as time management and tracking apps, it also poses the biggest obstacle to focus and productivity . While many work-related tasks require the internet to be performed, it's essential that managers implement strategies to ensure the intelligent use of this valuable resource.
How is worker productivity?
The Getúlio Vargas Foundation conducted a survey on Brazilian worker productivity in 2022. Taking into account Gross Domestic Product, the number of active workers, and the total number of hours actually worked, the researchers concluded that there has been a significant decline in productivity.
Continuing a downward trend that had been showing signs in 2021 with a 7.9% drop, 2022 saw a 4.5% reduction in productivity. These figures may highlight how Brazilians are displaying behavior that is inconsistent with market needs .
This doesn't mean that Brazilian workers don't know how or don't want to perform their tasks. The truth is that numerous factors can impact productivity and lead to a decline in results , and one of these factors is the distractions present in the online world .
We're sure that at least once during your workday, you take a break to clear your mind and stay focused . The biggest problem lies in the length of this break and the impact it can have on your tasks.
Blocking websites may be the best way out
We know that blocking certain pages and tools has been a practice for many years, and its popularity has been growing as companies recognize the benefits of blocking sites. However, we must understand that this blocking must be effective for the company to ensure its benefits.
There are different ways to block websites, each with different results . With the advancement of technology and the spread of information online, many people have learned to bypass these blocks to maintain access to tools and pages that were previously blocked. Therefore, it's essential to have efficient, specific tools for this type of control.
We also know that most companies have a Internet Usage Policy that outlines all the rules regarding Internet use. However, no matter how well-constructed this policy is, it's impossible to know whether all employees are following the guidelines and displaying the expected behavior.
It's crucial that all company members understand the importance of proper behavior in the digital environment and the consequences of unauthorized access . Employees must understand that blocking websites isn't just about increasing productivity. There are countless threats in the digital environment that can have very serious consequences for the company, and blocking pages helps maintain business security.
In addition, it's also essential to have a practical and efficient tool for assertive access control within the business. While there are inexpensive or free ways to implement this type of blocking, companies don't always see positive results with these measures.
Access control must be done through intelligent and efficient resources that help maintain control over accesses carried out in the corporate environment.
How to effectively block websites?
As mentioned above, website blocking can be done in a variety of ways and through numerous tools. It's important for companies to understand their goals and determine the right tool for this type of blocking. The benefits of blocking websites in the workplace are numerous, but finding the best approach is essential to achieving them.
Manual locking is possible, but it's not the best solution. This is because, besides requiring individual locking of tools on each of the company's machines, it's also very difficult to obtain reports on the activities performed . Another very common problem with manual locking is that it can be easily bypassed.
Before deciding which access control tool to use within your company, you need to know what should be blocked. But how do managers obtain this information? It's essential to understand access patterns and the types of content that cause the most harm to your business.
Using the right tool (such as Lumiun's solutions, such as Lumiun Box and Lumiun DNS ), it's possible to obtain accurate reports on the types of access performed and the time wasted using each tool . Based on this information, managers can establish a more efficient and assertive Control Policy tailored to their business needs.
Ensuring the benefits of website blocking within your company is directly related to choosing the right tool. While there are numerous solutions on the market focused on this type of control, it's crucial that your company understands exactly what it needs to increase productivity .
Blocking through browsers, editing hosts, using extensions, and other measures can also block some resources within your company. However, these alternatives are easily bypassed and impractical, especially for medium to large companies.
Find the right solution for your company's needs and significantly increase your employees' productivity. The goal of every company, regardless of its size or industry, is to achieve growth. This will only be possible through intelligent and strategic management of its resources, as is the case with the internet.
Until later!
