Employees and the Internet

Did you know studies indicate that over one-third of an employee's time spent online is for non-business purposes? Or that over a third of employees have visited an X-rated site from their work computer? How can you address issues such as these, short of shutting off your employees' access to the internet? First off, if you're like most companies, shutting off internet access is not feasible. While some abuse may inevitably occur, the internet is a critical component to many employees' jobs, ranging from competitive intelligence to current events to directions to the client's office. There are other options available to you.

Have a Policy
Many companies do not even have a written or formal policy regarding internet usage. They just assume that employees will know they are supposed to utilize the internet for work purposes only, and will do so. To protect yourself and your organization, ensure that you have a written policy that spells out, even in broad terms, how the internet is supposed to be used (or not used) during work hours and from work computers.

Communicate the Policy
Once your policy is in place, conduct a meeting with your employees to discuss internet usage in the workplace. A group setting will make certain that no one feels like they are being singled out. To supplement this, have the human resources department create a one-page summary of the policy for distribution to employees during the meeting. Follow up these meetings with an email blast.

Include Email & Instant Messaging Restrictions
Sending and receiving inappropriate emails at work should also be included in your policy. Text, links and images sent via email can violate a company's policy as easily as accessing a site directly from a work computer.

Incorporate Mobile Devices & Laptops
Just because an employee is not at work does not mean they can utilize a work device such as a BlackBerry, laptop PC or mobile phone with internet access for personal use.

Tracking Software & Limiting Access
There is software available that can track employee online behavior. However, this eats up internal resources to monitor and report on activity. In addition, it puts internal employees in a "policing" mode over other employees, and requires differentiating between legitimate activities and unacceptable behavior. Another possible approach is to restrict access to specific sites deemed inappropriate.

Bottom Line
The best policy is to get employees to police themselves. Making employees aware that this is an issue sends notice that the company is concerned and watching. A written policy with restrictions and possible penalties also serves as a deterrent to inappropriate use of the internet at work. Escalate to more restrictive policies only if necessary.