Web Surfing at Work – Part 2

August 28, 2008

Ken Ivey - The Tech Reporter

Last week we looked at concerns about Web Surfing at work. Here’s another take: Let Employees Surf From Work - They’ll Make It Up

In the continuing debate over whether or not companies need to actively monitor and/or block employee surfing habits, there’s always this assumption that any non-work activity done at the office must be “bad”. This simply isn’t true. Using a little down time to take care of some non-work related tasks, or to blow off some steam seems to keep people more focused and more productive. Now, a new study adds to the reasons why employers should stop complaining about employees who surf at the office. It turns out that people who surf at work for personal reasons tend to spend even more time sufing at home for work reasons. As long as employees are getting the job done, don’t worry so much about what they’re doing every minute of the day. It’s amazing how far a little trust can go.

Surfing at work is no problem in Finland

Protected by their extraordinarily tight personal privacy laws (compared to American standards), Finns have simply adopted email and internet guidelines that allow workers to handle necessary online business. This reciprocated trust seems to work for both employees and management.

Unlike many other countries, Finnish employers are not allowed to monitor their employees’ online activities. So instead of fighting the law, organizations have adopted practical solutions that allow employees to enjoy brief surfing periods and to take care of other needs, such as online banking.

According to experts, part of the reason for this workplace harmony is that employers understand that many employees use work laptops at home to finish off things or will still respond to work-email from home at night. If an employee is flexible with his or her free time, perhaps an employer should be a little more flexible with employees.

This seems like a wise way of thinking. A little bit of personal surfing time can help relieve pressure and break the routine of the typical workday. Rather than outlaw or punish employees, the Fins seem to have found the proper response to create a nice work-play balance.

Survey: Working from home eclipses workplace surfing
A survey from the University of Maryland finds that American workers spend more of their personal time using the Internet to do office work at home than they do surfing the Web for personal reasons on the job.

The Center for e-Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business and Rockbridge Associates, co-sponsors of the survey, found that employees with Web access at both the office and at home, spend an average of 3.7 hours per week engaged in personal online activities while on the job, but they spend more time - an average of 5.9 hours per week - using the Internet at home for work-related purposes.

Fully 85 percent of survey participants with online Web access at work admitted using the Internet on the job for personal purposes. The survey found that workers who do not have Internet access at home spend more time doing personal Web business at work - an average of 6.5 hours per week, compared to the 3.7 hours per week spent online by those who do have home access.

This may encourage progressive employers to fund employee’s internet access at home. You should ask your boss about it. Right after your EBay auction ends. Have a great week!

Ken Ivey is a veteran technology addict, consultant, author, web designer, and President of MidTN Technology, a marketing and web design firm. For more information, call 615-278-9324 or visit www.kenivey.com

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