Websense Web@Work Survey Hong Kong (2004) Reflects Changing Attitudes towards Internet Use in the Office

"Decreased productivity" is the number one concern of employers in Hong Kong regarding their employees' web access to non-work related web sites during office hours, according to the findings of the Web@Work Survey Hong Kong (2004) commissioned by Websense, Inc. (NASDAQ: WBSN) and conducted by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC).

The Web@Work Survey is a comprehensive annual survey on internet and computer application usage in the workplace and has provided significant findings on employees' surfing habits as well as management's perspectives on key network problems encountered by their companies.

HKPC conducted 300 successful interviews in September 2004, with half of the respondents being in management (grading of "manager or above") and the remaining half in the rank and file positions (clerks, executives and officers), all from companies with at least 50 employees. Respondents were polled on personal internet usage in the workplace, network problems encountered, internet filtering software used, and their company's internet access policy enforcement. The respondents came from different industries, with 19.3% from the manufacturing sector, 18.3% engaged in the transport and communication sector, 17.7% from the business services sector and 12.3% from the banking and finance sector.

According to the Web@Work Survey Hong Kong (2004), the line between personal and business-related usage of the web has become increasingly blurred. The survey also found a startling discrepancy between what employees actually admit to be doing at work versus their employer's perception of what is actually occurring in their corporate networks. For example, the management's estimate of the hours spent by employees accessing website is higher than the actual time spent by the employees online.

"77.3% of employees expressed that they use the internet occasionally for personal reasons at work," said Fritz Chiu, Principal Consultant, IT Industry Development, HKPC. "On average they spend two hours per week surfing the web for personal reasons. Slightly over 70% of all respondents believe that employers in Hong Kong are concerned about non-work related access, which translates to decreased employee productivity."

Another revealing finding that came out of the survey relates to enterprises' internet access policies. Slightly over 85% of the respondents reported that their companies have internet access policies in place. A majority of them (96.5%) accepted and understood their organization's internet access rules.

"In this day and age where security is of vital importance, most of us are used to the idea of being managed," said Tom Gibb, Director of Asia/Pacific Sales, Websense. "So, having employers set up internet access policies in the workplace does not come as a total shock to employees as long as they are aware that they are being watched when they use their personal computers at work."

Close to ninety percent of the respondents (89.3%) expressed that organizations should inform employees before enforcing any internet access policies. A majority of the respondents (92.3%) expressed that internet access policies should be set up in organizations. The key reasons for informing employees before enforcing any internet access polices cited include "employees should have the right to know" (66.4%) and "communication between company and staff is important" (40.3%). Slightly more than two-thirds of the respondents who did not find it necessary to inform employees before enforcing any internet access policies stated that "companies should have the right to restrict anybody accessing non-job related web sites at work".

Other 2004 Web@Work Survey findings: (from both employees and management)

- Up to 60% of the respondents spent less than 11 hours per week on the internet at work. The average number of hours spent per week on the internet at work was 13 (an average of 2.5 hours per day).
- Three-quarters of the respondents had encountered network problems at work in the past 12 months. Viruses spread via IM and bandwidth problem were the major issues.
- 78.3% of the respondents within the survey group saw the need for an internet filtering solution.
- 71.3% of the respondents had internet filtering software installed on their PCs or in their companies.
- For the 214 respondents who had internet filter software on their PCs or in their companies, (81.8% expressed that the final decision to purchase these software was made by their IT department, followed by the executive management team (14%).

Comparison of findings between Hong Kong & United States Web@Work Surveys

- There is a significant difference in the average hours spent accessing non-work related web sites at work between the two groups: management level and rank and file employees. Managers' estimate is always higher than end users', and this applies to both surveys in Hong Kong and the United States.
- In Hong Kong, IT managers are the major decision makers for Internet access administration, while the Human Resources department has a higher contribution to decision making in the United States.
- 71% of respondents from the Hong Kong survey cited "decreased employee productivity" as a top concern for personal internet use; while legal liability is the key concern in the United States market.

Contact:
Ronnie Manning
Websense, Inc.
(+1) 858 320 9274
rmanning@websense.com

Ms Fina Wong
Shout Communications
Tel: (852) 2578 2834
E-mail: fina@shoutasia.com

Ms Janice Mok
Tel: (852) 2578 2836
E-mail: janice@shoutasia.com