Internet misuse can be defined very strictly as the use of company hardware and internet service for any non-business related activity. The problem is not in defining misuse, but in drawing the line at which point it becomes abuse. If a worker reads and replies to an e-mail to his wife, is it abuse or is it something that is to be accepted in todays hyper-connected society. After-all some workplaces expect e-mails to be answered at night or even during vacations.
There is also an amount of courtesy that employees should show. I am guilty of getting lost in an interesting article for 15-30 minutes while doing site audits at work. When I know that what I have done or am doing is not contributing to my job, I adjust my timesheet to reflect it. I do not try to download movies, games or music which may make our network vulnerable to cyber attacks. I have a facebook "tab" app that allows me to get on facebook regardless of the company's browser restrictions, but I use it sparingly. I consider it even when one of my supervisors e-mails me during the weekend with a question or needs me to resend a file.
According to this article on The Week the majority of Americans are mildly addicted to the internet in one way or another. Does this excuse our need to check for notifications? Perhaps being connected has become an integral part of our lives? Internet has been thought of as a right, and necessary to the point that city wide free internet access has been considered in many areas.
Just like the other article I think that companies should have internet access for its employees to do other things than work. It helps to free up the mind from tasks that your brain can get overwhelmed with. I have seen just as many studies that say internet use helps in the workplace as it hurts. It is all about the personal aspect of things. Like most things out there it does not hurt to use most things in moderation like the internet. It is only when a certain individual overuses it causes problems for the rest of us who at work can use it in moderation.
ReplyDeleteIn theory it is a nice idea to allow the employees access to the internet freely. Nick had a great point about being able to use these in moderation. Unfortunately, many people are unable to grasp the moderation concept and become unproductive. The obvious response from the upper management would be to restrict internet access in order to take away distractions from the employees, even if some of them are using it responsibly.
ReplyDeleteEveryone thinks of tech companies when thinking of really progressive policies at work. This article made me think of Google's 80/20 policy, which basically is that employees are to use 20% of their time working on whatever they want, as long as it is company related. By freeing up a significant part of your time, you're usually much more productive during the remaining 80%. I think policies like this end up fostering innovation rather than separating a company from its employees' creative expression.
ReplyDeleteThese are great points! I remember when I first started working when I was 15. I worked at a show store and they had a phone usage policy. That policy was such that personal phone calls were not to be tolerated. I remember managers getting into trouble for standing at the cash register and spending time talking on the phone. To me, the concept with internet abuse is the same at work. The only problem is, it is extremely hard to monitor. Can you image how innovative and connected our companies would be if we were not allowed to use the internet at all at work. Everyone would be so bored that I think creativity and team unity would be at an all time high. Unfortunately, I do not think that policing the internet usage of employees is a viable option for most businesses.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog. I agree with you that companies should not prohibit the use of the Internet, but must be mindful so employees do not abuse it. The Internet can interfere with employee performance if you allow it. The employer must lay out ground rules on how their company will tolerate Internet use while at work.
ReplyDeleteJoshua
I have to agree with all the points made in this blog. Defining the misuse of internet and its involvement is clear cut, however, the gray area is to large to define. Social networking is a huge part of business in today's society and contributes to many new discoveries. Whether its a new client, a new idea, or the leads on a new discoveries, the internet is without question, the most efficient and effective way to do accomplish these task. Limiting resources that might produce some of the best solutions is bad business. I understand that the internet can be addicting and in some cases troublesome, however, some of the most innovating solutions are provided by it. There is a fine line between completing a task and internet misuse, I guess your self morals have to distinguish between the two.
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