Surfing on the Job

Many of us rely on the Internet for our jobs, whether it is creating websites or researching information. The Internet has become an integral part of our lives, including careers. However, there are those individuals who take the surfing business a bit too far, such as for personal usage. A good example: downloading music onto iPods.

The question is do these companies know that many of their employees are making the personal use of the Internet top priority? In most cases, these companies are clueless about the workers' surfing pattern.

According to Voco, a network consultant firm, it suggests that company CEOs and CIOs are not aware of what their workers are looking for on the Internet during the working hours. This gives them the opportunity to look at everything on the Net, such as pornography. Looking at social networking websites, talking on instant messenger or IM seems to pique the interest of these employees rather than doing their assigned duties on the job.

My question is why would the employees take that chance in surfing the Internet while on the job? I think that is because he/she often gets too comfortable on the job until it is taken for granted. On my previous job, there were several employees who were accessing pornography websites. Many individuals heard about the pop-up windows that are featured on these x-rated websites. They are very contagious. Ouch! When employees use the Internet for personal pleasures, it is usually possible to become a legal issue. "If investigators were tracking who was downloading, then the company would be the one facing legal implications," stated Paul Hortop, a Voco consultant.

According to a survey on Internet surfing on the job, this is not uncommon. Survey said that at least ninety-three percent of American workers had access to their employer's Internet for personal endeavors and work-related matters. Fifty-two percent stated they would give up everything else but the access to the Internet at work. In other words, they are totally hooked on surfing. In the Websense, it said that the Internet surfing on the job is very costly to these companies in the United States. It costs approximately two hundred billion dollars a year. That is a lot of money just to surf the Internet on the company's computer!

Most of us love to surf on the Internet for a certain period of time, or never-ending for a few. However, downloading music and chatting on MySpace is a bit inappropriate.

Why take a chance on jeopardizing the bread-and-butter for pleasure? It is not worth it! If we are going to use the Internet on the job, then let it be work-related. That is common sense.

Source:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080926-report-workers-spend-25-of-work-time-goofing-around-online.html