With stock quotes, sports results and amusements online, there's no shortage of diversionsÃÆ'Ã,¢Ã¢,Ã,¬"the Internet is booming with activity during the working day, according to research company www.consult. Factor in the convenience of high bandwidth network access, and the result is a growing problem for employers.
-Free employer-provided Internet access is the biggest driver of Internet activity at the moment," www.consult's media analyst Ian Webster told PC Week.
-Growth in home-based ISP accounts has slowed but Internet activity has increased," Webster said. -For most access at work is quicker. You just have to look at the activity at cricket sites during the day," he said.
-We think employers in Australia just don't understand that staff are using the Internet for personal use. In Australia we're more relaxed about these things, as we are with personal phone calls.
-In the audience surveys we do, 57 percent of (what www.consult classes as) regular Internet users access the Internet from work sometimes. And 14 percent of these regular Internet users don't have home Internet use at allÃÆ'Ã,¢Ã¢,Ã,¬"they find 56Kbps (a typical dial-up connection speed) is a waste of time." Changes in workplace custom have also encouraged the personal use of corporate Internet access: -It used to be okay to have radios in the office, but if you can't have the cricket on, you can see the score on your screen," Webster said.
