Young workers: ‘Ban Web use, and kiss us goodbye’
June 19, 2008 by Sam NarisiPosted in: Employee computer use, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views
Is using the Internet to goof off at work an inalienable right?
A good chunk of the workforce seems to think so — especially the younger crowd.
Obviously, most folks enjoy the right to take care of personal business. But almost 40% of workers under 30 would consider looking for another job if their employer banned personal surfing, according to a recent survey by Telindus.
That doesn’t mean all twenty-somethings are chronic time-wasters with no concern for getting work done. About half the workers surveyed said they wouldn’t mind a policy restricting personal Web use to lunch breaks and time before and after normal business hours.
What’s it like at your company? Would your employees fight for their right to surf — and quit if they didn’t get it? Let us know in the comments section.
View all the Latest StoriesTags: Generation Y, personal Web use, Telindus, wasting time
June 24th, 2008 at 1:32 pm
This has been a major issue at our office for the past few years. We need internet access to conduct business but frequently the internet is used for nonbusiness purposes. We have had a policy for 3+ years limiting nonbusiness access to lunch and before/after work hours but this has not seemed to help. I feel like I have to be the internet police to keep everyone on track. Very frustrating and a big waste of my time!!!!!!! Rebecca
July 1st, 2008 at 4:32 pm
I recently installed monitoring software. I knew internet abuse was rampant, but I was shocked to see just how much time some employees were wasting. Since I confronted one user with documentation of the amount of time spent doing on-line classwork, she has now been doing her homework on her lunch hour instead of company time. If you are able to track the abuse you’ll find it’s even worse than you think it is.
July 15th, 2008 at 3:14 pm
We don’t seem to have a problem with it. Since we installed the internet access here we have had filters and rules in place. I audit the reports on a regular basis and don’t see any real abuse. We do have some that are planning their vacation and go online looking for flights – hotels, etc but that’s it. We do not allow any webmail, chat, messaging, etc. I don’t think that I need to be an internet cop, that’s up to the dept managers to make certain their workers are doing the job.