I’m the boss of a company that does computer sales, and we installed Instant Messaging on our sales associates’ computers a few months back as a tool for them to communicate with their clients. Recently, my senior manager approached me and asked that we ban IM because he felt that my many of our employees are wasting time chatting with friends.
IM has been a valuable tool for dealing with clients, and I don’t want to punish our clients for the actions of a few employees. But what’s really bothering me is that I have always prided myself on allowing, and expecting, my employees to police themselves. It’s part of the vibe in our office; but I don’t want to be taken advantage of, either. Where’s the line?
I applaud your notion of expecting your employees to do what’s right without Big Brother-ish behavior. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always work.
The communications revolution has opened zillions of new, powerful tools for the business world. It’s also turned the boring old desk into a world of fun, thanks to the Internet. Many companies have banned websites such as YouTube and MySpace because they are vapid holes for time-killers just looking for the 5:00 p.m. whistle. Your situation is a bit more complicated, because IM, if used properly, is an invaluable business tool.
The thing about IM is that it’s really nothing more than email on speed. But whereas email in the business world still has somewhat of a letter-writing formality to it (though fading fast), IM is much faster and a whole lot less formal. Quick questions. Quick answers. All sitting in real-time on your screen. For a company that does sales, it’s a nice way of banging off quotes and tech specifics in something akin to a cyber conversation.
Now that we’ve laid out its benefits, lets look at its drawbacks. Instant chatting! Your old college buddy pops up on your buddy list and wants to talk about the ball game? Well… I’ll just take a few minutes. Then, boom, your wife pops on and wants to talk about dinner. Next thing, you’re in five different conversations and none of them is helping to pay the light bill in the office.
Self-policing is a necessity in an office. You should have properly screened and qualified employees who know that work time is work time. But temptation is a mother.
Banning IM should be a last resort because of all the positives in a sales environment. But you shouldn’t allow it to go unchecked. You need to send out an email reminding employees that office tools are for office work. Sure, an occasional personal call is OK, but fantasy football and college reunions are for private time. And with that reminder, you need to include consequences. This doesn’t break your self-policing policy, but simply informs your employees that if they abuse it they lose it. Lay it out there: tell them you trust them, and expect them not to abuse that trust. But should they continue with the play time, you’re going to have to crack the whip and yank the IM away.
By creating a potential consequence, where the actions of a few could hurt the many, your employees should think twice about blabbering with friends. Most people can justify a bit of cheating the man (meaning you). If they feel they’re hurting the guy in the cubicle next to them, self-policing becomes a bit more personal and, hopefully, more effective.
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