Workers cost companies £300 million on gambling
Over £300 million is being lost in productivity as employees indulge in an
online flutter at work. According to new figures released by business and
technology consultancy Morse, online gambling is costing businesses
£306,236,140 each year. The company surveyed 664 office workers and found
that almost a third (30 per cent) said that they had placed a bet online
during office hours or knew a colleague who had. The typical online gambler
were most likely to be men (38 per cent) and almost half (46 per cent) were
aged 25-34. Philip Wicks, consultant at Morse said that unmonitored access
to the internet and the explosion of gambling websites had tempted people to
bet online. "However these bets all add up and can greatly impact businesses
productivity. With online gambling set to rise by 22 per cent this year, it
is clear businesses can no longer turn a blind eye to their employees'
recreational activities," said Wicks. "Instead they must look at methods
that will control this addiction, starting with creating an internet usage
policy that must be adhered to and enforced." According to the report,
carried out by TNS OnlineBus, online gambling is stunting efficiency in the
workplace with workers spending a day and half a year making bets. Morse
said that most businesses do not have the same disciplinary action in place
for online gambling as they do for taking unnecessary time off. Morse said
companies' policies needed to be updated to counter this problem. The
research also revealed that office workers that gamble online are spending
11.6 per cent of their average weekly salary on online gambling. This is
compared to the average UK household spending 6.4 per cent of their weekly
wage on fresh vegetables and 5.2 per cent on fresh fruit.
"Businesses need to decide if it is acceptable for their office workers to
place a quick bet online, and if so, where they will draw the line and
decide if it is impacting on productivity, said Wicks. "However for those
who do not deem this as acceptable, enforcing rules and regulations needn't
be the headache that they predict."
He said that by using a combination of education and putting controls in
place to monitor and enforce Internet policies, and through logging Internet
activity, businesses can ensure they are protected with a minimum of fuss
and effort. "If needed, such logs can also be used in the future to support
HR in a disciplinary proceeding," he added.
online flutter at work. According to new figures released by business and
technology consultancy Morse, online gambling is costing businesses
£306,236,140 each year. The company surveyed 664 office workers and found
that almost a third (30 per cent) said that they had placed a bet online
during office hours or knew a colleague who had. The typical online gambler
were most likely to be men (38 per cent) and almost half (46 per cent) were
aged 25-34. Philip Wicks, consultant at Morse said that unmonitored access
to the internet and the explosion of gambling websites had tempted people to
bet online. "However these bets all add up and can greatly impact businesses
productivity. With online gambling set to rise by 22 per cent this year, it
is clear businesses can no longer turn a blind eye to their employees'
recreational activities," said Wicks. "Instead they must look at methods
that will control this addiction, starting with creating an internet usage
policy that must be adhered to and enforced." According to the report,
carried out by TNS OnlineBus, online gambling is stunting efficiency in the
workplace with workers spending a day and half a year making bets. Morse
said that most businesses do not have the same disciplinary action in place
for online gambling as they do for taking unnecessary time off. Morse said
companies' policies needed to be updated to counter this problem. The
research also revealed that office workers that gamble online are spending
11.6 per cent of their average weekly salary on online gambling. This is
compared to the average UK household spending 6.4 per cent of their weekly
wage on fresh vegetables and 5.2 per cent on fresh fruit.
"Businesses need to decide if it is acceptable for their office workers to
place a quick bet online, and if so, where they will draw the line and
decide if it is impacting on productivity, said Wicks. "However for those
who do not deem this as acceptable, enforcing rules and regulations needn't
be the headache that they predict."
He said that by using a combination of education and putting controls in
place to monitor and enforce Internet policies, and through logging Internet
activity, businesses can ensure they are protected with a minimum of fuss
and effort. "If needed, such logs can also be used in the future to support
HR in a disciplinary proceeding," he added.
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