Employees surf non-work related web sites

[REW Tyler]

Empolyees who have access to the internet at work spend almost a quarter of their time online visiting news, weather and other websites that have nothing to do with their jobs, according to a new study of web surfing habits.

The three-part US study, the third section of which will be published on Wednesday, found that 61 per cent of people who use the internet at work admitted to visiting non-work-related sites. Workers spent an average of 12.8 hours online each week, with 24 per cent of that time devoted to non-work sites.

The study was sponsored by Websense, an internet security group that specialises in web filtering software.

Half of more than 850 people surveyed said they would rather give up their morning coffee than their ability to access the internet for personal use, suggesting that companies that block employee access to personal sites such as web-based e-mail risk draining workforce morale.

Still, many employees said they feared that some of their personal web surfing habits could put their jobs at risk. Sixteen per cent of men and 8 per cent of women admitted to having viewed online pornograhpy at work, even though most respondents said they feared they could be fired if caught. A majority of both genders said they had accessed those sites by accident.

Spyware was also a source of concern. Six per cent of employees said they had visited sites known to contain spyware programmes, but only 42 per cent of those whose computers became infected with spyware called their IT help desk.

The number of people who were aware of "phishing" e-mail scams rose to 49 per cent in 2006, up from just 33 per cent last year.

Map, news and weather sites were the most popular non-work sites visisted in the survey.

Last month, a US court ruled that a New York City government employee could not be fired from his job solely for surfing the internet at work. The judge hearing the case ruled that such activity was akin to taking personal telephone calls or reading the newspaper - activities commonly allowed at work, so long as they do not interfere with an employee's overall job performance.

http://news.moneycentral.msn.com/pro...517&ID=5726940

Now get back to work!

[pcdoc]

Back when I owned multiple offices my new-hires were required to read and sign a document that detailed acceptable use of computers.

The employee contract included what I expected of my folks in terms of Internet use. One covenant expressly prohibited IM of any form.

Within two days of hiring a new employee, I caught IM enabled on her terminal, populated with her friends.

I immediately fired the lady.

Of course, she signed up for unemployment which was paid out of my State Unemployment account.

[tom]

How could she get unemployment? She has to lose her job for a fault not of her own will, which was not the case. Thats just not right, stuff like that really pushes my buttons. That to me is stealing. When I see a mentally handicap person bagging grocery's at kroger then I see no reason for someone to not have a job, and in return NOT get unemployment.

Of course thier are exceptions, I was generalizing.

Everywhere I've ever worked had a similar document you had to sign if you were using company computer's.

[Auliya]

tsk tsk tyler......did you find that article at work? LMAO....just kiddin...

[pcdoc]

How could she get unemployment?

In North Carolina (controlled by liberal politicians) an ex-employee can (by statute) sign-up immediately upon termination.

Once contacted by the N.C. Unemployment Commission, the employer must prove that the employee was "terminated for cause".

It's a long and arduous procedure and should the individual choose, the action can be adjudicated in a court of law.

Over the course of 20 years, of the few that I fired, I never resolved a single case to my satisfaction; and, one case did go to court because of my pig-headed resolve, costing my thousands.

IMO, it's simply political bribery, as the litigant is forever grateful to the party in power for sticking their hands in the pockets of the mean-old industrialists.

But don't get me started.

[REW Tyler]

tsk tsk tyler......did you find that article at work? LMAO....just kiddin...

Possibly
It wasnt my fault though, it poped up on the msn today sign in.

[Auliya]

Hahahha....alright then, you're off the hook

[ResaleBroker]

tsk tsk tyler......did you find that article at work? LMAO....just kiddin...

Too funny!

[kid disco]

One of my fav articles...

Be smarter at work, slack off

[zelvenschi]

Do you really think that forbidding IM or web surfing will help productivity? Instead people will dose off, talk with each other, or send sms messages. The key is to hire people that like the job, and will perform well.