We all are guilty of checking of e-mail accounts, Facebook,
Twitter, etc. from time to time at work.
If you say you haven’t you are lying! Just keep in mind that 9 times out of 10 “Big Brother” is
watching you.
Some companies are extremely strict and monitor every site you
go on, whereas others might only periodically check if there is a breach in
security. Keep in mind that no matter
how big or small the company you work for, your IT department can track each
site, how many times you are on it, what time of day you clicked on the site
and what you did on each site. If you
don’t want them
to know, then don’t go surfing!
Not only can they monitor your site activity, employers can and
probably will view what you are actually doing on these sites; so twitters
beware! If you don’t want your
employer seeing it then you might want to avoid getting on these types of sites
while at work.
There is also the issue of companies viewing social media
accounts to check out what employees are doing outside of work. If you are posting something that you don’t want the
world to see then you probably shouldn’t post it
on social media accounts because today employers are finding ways to get this
information. In 2010, more than 21% of
companies larger than 1,000 employees’ punished
employees for violating social media policies.
An example would be posting on Facebook that they had some wild and
crazy night at the bars with pictures when they told their boss that they had
the flu or venting how much their boss was a major jerk (to be politically
correct).
Obviously abusing the internet at work can have its consequences. Most of the time the punishment fits the
crime, with a formal write up. But,
habitual behaviors can lead to terminations.
When you get into internet abuse from your personal pc you are crossing
another line. Employers don’t take to
kindly to verbal bashing or employees lying about what they were doing during company
time. There is little tolerance for
these situations and in most cases will lead to terminations.
I am personally guilty on this issue. I sometimes check my email or go on facebook while I am at work. Some companies make you sign a paper when you get hired. But my question is what if I am surfing on my break time (off clock)? I don’t think this would matter for any employers. Just to be on safe side, it is better not doing anything your company not permits. Thanks to technologies for any emergency, you can always use your phone.
ReplyDeleteI think you are right it is better not to do things your company does not permit. Point in case I actually terminated someone yesterday for a multitude of reasons but one was for surfing on the web during work hours for non-work related reasons. I had caught this person looking for bicycles one day then again she was researching bugs. I mean come on, if you don't want your employer to know that you are on these sites then don't use company property. And you made the comment that a lot of companies make you sign a document. In most company handbooks it is pretty explicit the computer use policy.
ReplyDeleteDoes class count as the workplace? I would be willing to bet this contributes to more loss of productivity in class than in the workplace. If you are ever near the back of a 100+ seat lecture hall, take a peek at how many laptops are on Facebook, pinterest, and the like. I feel bad for the professors doing their best to related to students when some don't even have enough focus to pay attention in the first place.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is one of the biggest competitors for a persons attentions on computer devices. In the workplace, if you are engaged in work that you are uninterested in, it will be very easy to become sidetracked by what's going on in the outside world via Facebook or Instagram. Social media sites are probably one of the top productivity decreasing factors in the workplace. Making these sites unavailable by blocking them may be the only way to decrease the effects.
ReplyDelete