Canadian HR Reporter

E D I T O R I A L 6 www.hrreporter.com EDITORIAL Editor/Supervisor: Sarah Dobson Employment Law Editor: Jeffrey R. Smith Labour Relations News Editor: John Dujay Production Editor: Patricia Cancilla Contributors: Marie-Hélène Budworth CORPORATE Chief Executive Officer Mike Shipley Chief Operating Officer George Walmsley President Tim Duce Chief Information Officer Colin Chan Human Resources Manager Julia Bookallil ADVERTISING Business Development Manager: Fred Crossley (416) 644-8740 ext. 236 fred.crossley@keymedia.com Vice President Sales John Mackenzie PRODUCTION Designer: Ace Dequina Production Coordinator: Kim Kandravy Client Success Coordinator: Kshipra Dhindaw MARKETING AND CIRCULATION Subscriptions and Circulation manager: Keith Fulford Marketing Coordinator: Charlyn Macaraeg Global Head of Media Marketing: Adrijana Monevska ISSUE 33.08.2020 www.hrreporter.com The big question: Are workers slacking off? ARE remote workers slacking off ? It's a question that has to be on the mind of many in human resources, along with managers and leaders — and even other workers. Because if you're working diligently at home, despite the challenges of the pandemic, only to find out that your colleagues are amusing themselves when they should be working, that's not going to go over well. A survey released in mid-July revealed some alarming numbers: 80 per cent of U.S. workers at home admitted to slacking off, with distractions including scrolling through social media or binge watching a show on Netflix or TV. Amazingly, almost half (43 per cent) admit to visiting porn sites on their work computers, while 38 per cent are playing with their kids or pets, 35 per cent are exercising, 33 per cent are gaming and 31 per cent are doing housekeeping. However, 55 per cent of respondents believe their workload has increased, found the survey of more than 2,000 workers by SellCell. It's difficult to make sense of those numbers, unless most people had a lighter workload before they started working remotely, and now they are faced with more work — but still finding time to slack off. So, what's an employer to do? Do they believe the numbers? Do they give employees some leeway considering the challenges of the pandemic situation? Or do they tackle the problem head-on? Of course, there are monitoring tools available, including AI software, that purport to detect issues such as sexual harassment, disengagement and low productivity. But it's not as easy as it sounds. In using these options, employers have to be careful when it comes to the data quality, being transparent with their workforce and being overly reliant on the technology, as I found in talking to experts for my March 2020 article "AI monitoring rises to new levels." As an alternative, putting an emphasis on deliverables seems to make the most sense. Instead of spying on employees with the latest tech or checking in with them randomly to try and catch them cheating the system, why not make sure they have an appropriate amount of work and that they deliver? Any good manager or leader should be on top of this, leaving no time for their team to indulge in porn or gaming during work hours. Almost half (43 per cent) admit to visiting porn sites on their work computers, while 38 per cent are playing with their kids or pets. Sarah Dobson, editor, Canadian HR Reporter group Contents of Canadian HR Reporter are copyright © 2020 HAB Press Limited and may not be reproduced in whole or part without written consent. HAB Press Limited disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. HST/GST # 70318 4911 RT0001 Canada Post – Canadian Publications Mail Product Sales Agreement 41261516 International Standard Serial Number 0838-228X. The publishers accept no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, colour transparencies or other materials. Manuscripts or other materials must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. KEY MEDIA and the KEY MEDIA logo are trademarks of Key Media IP Limited, and used under license by HAB Press Limited. Canadian HR Reporter is a trademark of HAB Press Limited. 20 Duncan St. 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON. M5H 3G8 www.hrreporter.com Subscription price: Canada: $175 plus tax; US and International: $175 USD Canadian HR Reporter makes every effort to ensure accuracy in all items reported, but cannot accept responsibility for the representations or claims made by sources used. It is also not responsible for claims made by its advertisers. HR_AD_REVISED_APR_2020.indd 1 HR_AD_REVISED_APR_2020.indd 1 2020-04-24 9:30 AM 2020-04-24 9:30 AM

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