Comments on: Employee Internet Surfing: Do You Care?

By: Mike Guerrero

Mike Guerrero — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:03:25 +0000

What about the legal implications?? Is anyone living in my reality?
Not every individual has the ability to use common sense when viewing sites. What if someone happens to be walking by and find what they are watching or listening to offensive or hostile? Now you have a big problem on your hands if you as a company have a policy that allows the viewing of non-business related sites.
The answer is NO. Take your i-phone or personal laptop to lunch and surf the web all you want on your own time and off the company premises

By: DJ a person in IT.

DJ a person in IT. — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:34:05 +0000

As a person who does deal with IT all day and every day, I would prefer people to access the internet to learn, not to play games, but to research information. I applaud employers who allow the employees to lean, and have the ability to access the internet for required information for their job.

I have read everyone’s comments here and also was applaud by some of them. Without the internet today most people especially employees in my field (which is ever changing) access the net to deal with related issues 90% of the time. Without this information we would not know about issues that consistently rise and how to fix the issue. If Cisco releases a new IOS for the catalyst 3800 series switch I want to know about it, I want to know what we can benefit from this update, will it fix an issue that we have or is it an update with new commands only.

As for the comments about youtube in here. Here is a basic test look up on how to build a PC, install dual boot operating systems with Linux and Windows and have them access each other. Yes this can be found on youtube. Where some people can simply read instructions others are also visual learners, don’t forget that. So don’t be so quick to judge at this point.

As for the comments about viruses. A virus can be also sent internal this means that the person or individual does not have to be on the internet at all to get a virus. You can get a virus from anywhere regardless, most targeted sites are CNN.com, Yahoo, Google, MSNBC ect… You can be checking the news and a misalaneous script can access your PC without you knowing it. This does happen more often then you may think. And the most often that do get the virus are the nay Sayers of the internet they are the ones that are the most common that I have seen get a virus and not try or even attempt to protect themselves in any way, which is sad really when it comes down to the internet people show other on how they can protect themselves from viruses to brute force attacks.

By: SA

SA — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:29:39 +0000

The open floor plan and total lack of computer privacy is probably an important factor here. If you have a policy of not caring what people do on the internet, and then give them private cubicles, they are probably going to spend more time surfing than they would in an environment where their surfing habits are on display for everyone to see. If someone starts to not pull their fair share of the load due to too much time online, everyone is going to know about it right away.

By: Lori

Lori — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:38:26 +0000

I work alone in my home office- I have an HP laptop next to my work computer- this allows me to surf the net and watch the news and not have to minimize the spreadsheets on my work computer.

A Few years ago I went to work for a Social service agency in Indiana and for two years ran a one person office from 2005-2007. I was thrilled to work alone… After a few months of surfing on my work computer – I kept thinking what more could I do?? I had the idea to get a router and bring in my laptop just in case security hardware was installed on my work computer. I could IM friends and watch TV on the computer if I wished. Also When clients would come in I would pick up my laptop- leave my desk and sit at the conference tables and surf or IM while clients were engaged in their various activities.

I had complete control of my environment- My desk was at the front of one large room, the entryway was a door with glass from floor to ceiling which was the front of my one room office. If my supervisor drove up ( I had a full view of the parking lot) I could close down and put my laptop and cam away- easy.

This is how I learned to use the internet and type so quickly…Without my internet and surfing I would have been miserable at work. In the future I do hope employers will allow internet usage– thus far every agency I have worked for has the policy that you can’t even open you email at work. It is up to us to rise to the challenge and try to get away with it! Thanks this was a fun topic. L

By: HR Lady

HR Lady — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:46:09 +0000

Relevant and timely. We had this same discussion end of 2008. If you have employees, you can’t ignore this topic any longer.

By: HRC

HRC — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 16:32:42 +0000

The Internet is a good resource/tool for any individual. An individual needs to respect their time in their company. It should be used not abused that’s when its bad.

By: Howard Gittelman

Howard Gittelman — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 13:56:53 +0000

I can cleary see the benefit in having employees that are savy in internet useage that creatively utilize this skill set to offer their expertisel back to the business environment. As many bloggers have posted above, internet shopping, checking personal email and surfing the net does not constitute “computer competancy training” and is purely intended for personal entertainment and should not be done on company time. If an employee needs computer application training, employers are usually willing to invest in their education. There is, however, a far more damaging effect that this activity has on a business network which no one has really addressed. There is a significant expense associated with maintaining a computer network for business application. Every employee that accesses the internet for personal reasons puts the network and each workstation at risk for corruption from internet viruses and installation of applications on workstations that unecessarily compromise workstation functionality. The long term costs for maintaining a virus free and optimally functioning network is enormous and employers who chose to permit employees to utilize the busines environment for personal use should strongly consider the far reaching economic impact of their decision.

By: JB

JB — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 21:26:24 +0000

I think it all comes down to the morality of the person..and knowing enough to say when.

If you are going to sit on-line all day and not get any work done, then you are not the caliber of person that we want working for us. We belive if you hire good charcter people, you don’t have to micro-manage.

By: Heather

Heather — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:00:08 +0000

As a HR Manager as a profession, the use of internet for personal use ‘breeds’ discontentment, petty actions, and can expose a work place to opinions that are best left at home – since religious,political and a opinions of humor differ greatly. As a manager, I do not care what employees do with “free time” when they are on lunch, break or all the work is caught up. However, most of the web sites that people like to surf (facebook, Youtube) have been the source of many a bad virus and that is just not worth it for me as a manger to get a virus that might damage company information. There is a cause and effect with everything, folks. Think about what you are saying. Would you want to hire & pay someone to be completing a task at your house that might not get be done on time or damage your computer system or information by surfing on the web? I think not.

By: Eduardo

Eduardo — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:08:42 +0000

I think it should be reviewed on a case by case basis. Simple; where did most of us commenting on the article read it at, home or work? In my case, as a recruiter I’m constantly using time to source through social networks and job boards that wouldn’t be able to access with no internet access.