Internet Abuse in the American Workplace

I am a Facebook addict, I will admit it. I check into my Facebook account at least a dozen times a day. Sometimes I post my status of what I'm doing, and others I'm just observing or taking whatever random test there is to take. Either way, I spend way too much time on the Internet while working. And I know you do to, because your status updates change multiple times daily as well.

The fact is, employees surf the internet countless hours a day. Many companies have tried to regulate Internet usage, but many times Internet is a part of our work requirements as well. Whether it's doing research for a project, or even just looking up a phone number, the Internet is a must-have accessory on every workplace desktop.

Some employers block sites such as personal email, social networking sites, and of course, pornography. But the American workforce still manages to Google their way through the Internet trying to kill time during the hours of boredom at work.

If I messaged all my friends via email or a social networking site right now, who are at work, I am sure no less than half of them would reply back to me. You see, I am not the only one spending insane amounts of time online while working. Sometimes we are truly using the Internet for work purposes, sometimes we are also multi-tasking between personal and professional sites, and other times, we're just plain slacking.

I imagine that if an anonymous survey went out to the American workforce we would find millions of hours wasted everyday on random Internet searches that are not related to work. As if the economy isn't bad enough, imagine if every employer truly did investigate how many hours their employees were using the Internet at work? What if, after that, they enforced their regulations, such as removing the Internet from the computer, violation of work ethic, and maybe even termination of employment?

Unemployment rates would skyrocket if employers truly respected their Internet usage guidelines. Companies would save millions of dollars by making sure their employees were working non stop during working hours. However, employees would be bitter at the constant watchful eye, and they'd find other ways to slack, such as pre-Internet activities of slacking, and playing solitaire on the computer.

Either way, the American workforce for the most part, has been taught that it is acceptable to slack. It's ok to do personal things during appropriate times. Some jobs just mean that you sit at a desk all day answering phones, and you need something like the Internet to occupy the times in between. I cannot imaging having to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day waiting for someone to call in while doing nothing else.

I don't expect employers or employees to change, however, everyone should be aware that despite the fact your company may not be tallying up every second you spend online, the are still watching. It is important, in today's economy, that if you want to keep your job, you need to be responsible and moral. While we all slack to certain degrees, work is work, and that should always take full priority the minute you clock in.

There is always time for water cooler chat, a Google search of the vacation spot you're dying to visit, or a good ole game of green screen solitaire. However, we must count ourselves lucky to be some of the few with jobs. As unemployment rates continue to rise, and companies look at ways to streamline their businesses, those of us who are slacking the most are going to be tops on the list to lose our jobs.

Internet privileges are being abused all across the American workplace. It's a fact of life in this day and age. But be smart: get your work done first, and then play, just as our parents taught us.