As business owners and hiring managers are well aware, an incentive that workers highly value is employee benefits. The ability to have health insurance that pays for medical services can be a real lifeline for families, which is why so many people take benefit offerings into consideration when on the job hunt.
However, with employment-based health insurance being the largest type of health coverage in the country – according to the U.S. Census Bureau – employee benefits are now the rule more than the exception to it. In other words, employers are looking for other ways in which to encourage highly qualified workers to apply. Perhaps with this in mind, and in light of the holiday season being around the corner, more companies are giving their employees the green light to shop online while on the clock.
Only 10 percent of employers permitted online shopping two years ago
More than 1 in 4 chief information officers said that their place of employment permits its staff to shop while on the job, according to a recent survey performed by staffing firm Robert Half. That's up approximately 17 percent from 2012, when slightly more than 1 in 10 percent said this type of activity was permissible.
John Reed, senior executive director at Robert Half Technology, pointed out that with so many people pressed for time these days, an ever increasing number of business owners are being more lenient with their Internet surfing policies.
"Employers recognize that some flexibility is needed to help workers successfully manage their time during the hectic holiday season," said Reed in a press release. "Allowing professionals to attend to the occasional personal errand at work, like holiday shopping, can make all the difference to them during this busy time of year."
Approximately 27 percent of respondents said that their workplace gives unrestricted access to online shopping websites, a substantial increase from the 16 percent that sanctioned this activity last year and 10 percent in 2012, the Robert Half poll revealed. Meanwhile, about 42 percent said that while this was sanctioned, workers are monitored to prevent excess usage. Slightly less than a third said holiday shopping via the Internet is forbidden.
Workers say they're most productive in the AM
Many employers are putting a focus not so much on the quantity of time workers devote to productivity but quality. In other words, fostering policies that help people work smarter, not necessarily harder. Businesses that permit online shopping, so long as workers don't abuse the privilege, might want to confine it to the afternoon hours. In a separate poll performed by The Creative Group, nearly two-thirds of workers said that they feel the most productive in the morning. Having employees focus solely on their jobs when they first get into the office can help managers get the most of their staff, but still balance the personal needs their workers may have.
