Effects of Internet Addiction on Work Place Productivity: With Special Reference to Alacrity in Nagpur

Author Name(s): Dr. Monika R Seth, Mr. Atharva R Karpate, Mr. Abhinav Bathula
Author Email: sethmr@rknec.edu

Abstract

Addiction is defined as a compulsive need for and use of a habit-forming substance characterized by tolerance and well-defined physiological symptoms upon withdrawal. With the onset of the internet and the subsequent widespread ease of access to it, the average human life has been deeply impacted and affected by it. This is evident and characterized by the gradual but definite inculcation of the internet into the daily lives of human beings, so much so that addiction to the internet is recognized as a legitimate and booming mental disorder by World Health Organization. The present age group of 20-30 years has been raised with the internet as a very integral and substantial informative source in their upbringing. Considering how this age group is of employable age and seeks jobs, it becomes of utmost relevance to study internet addiction disorder and to find out its effects and implications in job productivity, keeping in mind the unquestionable role of internet to carry out daily functions of an average work environment. Thus, the paper aims to find out the effect of internet addiction on workplace productivity in Alacrity (BPO) located in city of Nagpur. Sales reports and performance linked incentive (PLI) reports were collected for 100 employees working in BPO sector, aged between 18-28. The data thus collected was tabulated in the form of daily internet usage and PLI earned, over a period of one year for fiscal year 2017-18. The data was collected through telephonic conversation. After studying the tabulated data of Internet usage and PLI earned, it was concluded that the average PLI earned by the employees decreased with the subsequent substantial increase in the internet usage amongst employees in the fiscal year 2017-18.

Keywords Internet Addiction, Work Place Productivity, Physiological Symptoms, Work Environment, Performance Linked Incentive (PLI)

Introduction

In this 21st century, using the Internet at the workplace is not only unavoidable but essential to business success. With widespread connectivity and constantly emerging tantalizing online activities, people are spending more and more time online for studying, learning, communicating, creating, and entertaining themselves. The Economic Times reported, the number of Internet users stood at 481 million in December 2017, an increase of 11.34% over December 2016 in the report titled, “Internet in India 2017.” However, very few people are able to compartmentalize and use the internet without letting it affect their productivity. There is a fine line between healthy use and problematic use, which is getting blurred these days. And the purpose of this study is to establish a strong demarcation between the healthy and addictive use of internet.

Conclusions

The results confirmed that there isn’t a significant co-relation between internet addiction and its effects on job productivity. Only 3% of the total participants were found to be possible addicts to the internet and showed effects on job productivity. This was confirmed through PLI data collected. Majority of the employees were reported to be moderate users of the internet and showed low or no loss in their job productivity. No significant difference in the PLI drawn was observed between mild and low users.

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