Seminar to help bosses crackdown on cyber-slacking

A free seminar in Wolverhampton will advise bosses on how to crack down on employees who spend more time in the office social networking than working.

Thirty-five per cent of employees in the UK abuse their internet privileges, spending almost two hours of the working day on social net-working sites, and Staffordshire-based employment law specialists mhl support has teamed up with software supplier Internet Central to help bosses crack down on cyber-slacking.

Marc Schroder, CEO of mhl support said: “Personal internet use at work costs the UK economy £10.6 billion a year, and a lot of companies don’t take steps to protect themselves. It is believed that a company can lose up to 15 per cent of its profits because of net abuse.

"We have organised this free seminar to help businesses in the West Midlands and Staffordshire take back control of employees who are spending their day chatting on Facebook or MySpace instead of working on legitimate company business," he said.

The seminar at Patshull Park Golf and Country Club in Wolverhampton will take place on Wednesday August 6th, and will educate people in what areas of legislation govern IT usage, how companies can protect their data and customer details, and what information should be included in the company's IT Policy.

It will also advise on enforcing the Policy, highlight areas of potential exposure and introduce the products available to help monitor a company's workforce and provide evidence when action is required.

Mr Schroder said: "A lot of companies take steps to restrict employees’ access to certain material, but little is done to prevent them searching job sites, accessing social networking sites, or even sending client details to competitors."

"The country is enduring a challenging economic climate at present, and the fact that a significant percentage of its productivity and profit margin is being compromised will infuriate any director fighting the recession."

"By teaming up with Internet Central, we hope to give businesses across the region the knowledge and tools to clamp down on IT abuse and maximise its workforce," he added.

The seminar will take place at Patshull Park Hotel Golf and Country Club, Patshull Road, Pattingham from 9am – 11.30 am on August 6th. For more details and to register contact Zara Scott on 08453 100 600 or register online here