According to recent studies, the average employee spends
between one and two hours a day using the Internet for personal
reasons. So how do you monitor your employees’ Internet and e-mail behavior and
curb excessive or inappropriate use? And do the same rules apply to
contracted workers?
Louise Wood (woman to the right), managing director of Prodrill Energy Resource Solutions,
said: “We allow employees to use the company e-mail systems and access
the Internet for personal use during their working day if need be, but
we are vigilant and they must not abuse this. Internet and e-mail
access at work is a privilege, not a right.
Louise’s top tips on curbing employees’ Internet use:
Internet
access control programs: They offer complete web security, web
monitoring and Internet access control across your company network.
Various programmes also allow employers to block downloads and streaming
in real-time, enabling them to stop bandwidth hogging.
Contract
clause: The majority of employers in this day and age have a clause
written into employees’ contracts detailing exactly what type of
Internet use is acceptable. Employees cannot say that they are not aware
of company policy if they have signed their contract.
Warnings:
Excessive Internet use should be met with a verbal or written warning.
If the use has been deemed inappropriate, suspension or even dismissal
can be an option.
Educate your staff: A survey has
shown that 28% of office workers did not know their company’s Internet
policy. This shows that many businesses are not educating their staff or
setting clear boundaries on acceptable use. Companies should consider
holding internal meetings and issuing regular updates to all staff to
reiterate company policy. Staff can then sign this to say they are aware
of the rules.
Legal liabilities: Employee Internet
misuse can seriously damage an employer’s reputation. Legal liability
can arise from issues including harassment and defamation, and
transmission of trade secrets, viruses and confidential information.
Contractors
beware: Contracted staff may think that as they are not a permanent
member of staff, a company’s policies do not apply to them. However,
this is not the case. It is common practice for a contractor to comply
with a company’s policies, including those on Internet misuse.
The internet access control programs seem interesting and that is what we had at my high school. However, where my mother works and where I used to work I was able to get on Facebook but not look up directions on Map Quest or download work-related files without doing it at home and bringing a flash drive in. As businesses expand their use of the internet I think certain things should be altered to better accommodate employees.
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