DAMMAM, 21 May — Excessive Internet use by employees of companies and commercial establishments is affecting productivity and causing significant losses. These are the findings of research done in both Western and Asian countries. The trend is more visible in Third World countries than in the West and company management is moving to reverse it.

A study in India showed that employees in the IT industry misused the Internet more than those in other Third World sectors. The study revealed that IT engineers constantly misused the Internet on the pretext of uploading/downloading programs. This trend, according to the report, is global and very little can be done about it.

The Kingdom is no exception. Many businesses have already taken measures to stop personal use of the Internet during work hours. For example, the Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) has a system in which a visit to any site is automatically logged in if an employee visits the site. The company checks unnecessary log-ins and because of the system, personal Internet use has been significantly reduced. Other companies and businesses have taken similar action.

At the same time, many medium-sized and small companies lack both the resources and technology to tackle the problem and as a result, they are experiencing a decline in productivity as well as financial loss. No business establishments and companies object to employees using e-mail and have even provided the facility to their staff. What does worry the companies, however, is the endless chat on various sites by their staff.

Studies show that Internet abuse is most common in the form of chatting during work hours. Employees indulge in hours of chat instead of doing their work. Even teachers are being implicated; various educational institutions have noticed teaching staff in the computer lab chatting away. There are reports of teachers arriving late to class and late submission of exam results.

The craze for chatting may be decreasing in the West but it is still very popular in the Third World. On any day more chatters will be found in regional rooms, such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh or other Asian countries, than in the Western chatrooms. No doubt, it is good to know people in other places and share opinions and ideas with them but this is not something that should be done during working hours.

IT experts are unanimous that the trend must be reversed. Companies have to develop a system for curbing misuse of the Internet. “We will have to follow the example of Saudi Aramco,” says a Saudi IT consultant in a major business in Dammam. “We have noticed many staff members are not achieving what they should,” he said. He added that it may become necessary to punish employees in order to stop misuse of the Internet. “Harsh punitive measures will certainly yield positive results.” Since many employees fail to discipline themselves, the discipline will have to come from their employers.