Streaming in the office is a topic of hot debate amongst business owners, and for good reason. Depending on the type of media being streamed, it can either enhance or hinder office productivity. What does your company need to know about streaming, and what you can do about employees who can’t resist the urge?

Acceptable Uses of Streaming
First of all, we want to emphasize that not all streaming is bad for productivity. There are certain media types that will be necessary for certain employees to unlock their full potential. For example, let’s say that you have an employee who works better in areas with minimal distraction. If your other employees are being too noisy collaborating (or not), this employee can put on a pair of headphones and listen to music streamed from an online app to drown out the sound.

You also might need to look at a video during your normal workday for work purposes. Perhaps it is an important news article about a new workplace trend, or perhaps it’s a training video that is needed in order to fully master a new software solution. Regardless, there will generally be some reason to stream something or another, but this doesn’t mean that it’s always acceptable.

Unacceptable Uses for Streaming
If you have an employee who is streaming video at all times, you’re dealing with an employee who simply isn’t working to the best of their ability. They are doing your business and themselves a disservice. Not only is streaming distracting, but it can also use up a lot of your bandwidth, leading to a lot of slowdown on other network-connected devices.

For the problem employees who just can’t keep their eyes off of YouTube, Netflix, or Hulu, you can implement a content filter. What this does is keeps them focused on the workday by eliminating access to specific sites. This can be anything ranging from social media sites and streaming sites to dangerous malware-infected sites that are dangerous to browse.

If your organization wants to implement a content filter, Dresner Group can help. To learn more, reach out to us at (410) 531-6727.