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There is no doubt that the Internet has made employees' working lives easier. E-mail has replaced lengthy phone conversations, file transfer and attachments allow several offices to edit documents quickly. These time-savers have helped employees increase their output and become more productive.
However, it has also given workers access to new and more interesting avenues at their desktops. With entertainment, gaming, sports, shopping and other activities available at the touch of a button, the Internet is a temptation many workers have a hard time resisting. Unfortunately, all indications point to the problem getting worse, as streaming video, shopping and music download technologies get much better, enticing more employees toward non-work activities. The trends are disturbing:
According to IDC Research, 30 to 40 percent of employee Internet activity...