No Surf Zone

Read and understand your company's Internet use policies - and don't spend your time at work surfing the Internet for personal interests.

By Matt Krumrie, Star Tribune Sales and Marketing

Last update: July 9, 2007 - 9:37 AM

According to a recent poll conducted by Robert Half Technology, a provider of information technology professionals on a project and full-time basis, 78 percent of the 1,400 CIOs polled said their company has either installed content filtering or blocking software, instituted policies that detail acceptable web browsing, or done a combination of both.

Translation: Read and understand your company's Internet use policies - and don't spend your time at work surfing the Internet for personal interests.

Mary Emmen, president of Columbia Heights-based NewHR, LLC (www.newhronline.com), a company that specializes in creating human resource solutions for small businesses, has a client for whom inappropriate Internet use is a very hot topic. While the company does not regularly monitor every employee, their policy is clear that if there is a reason for them to check, they will.

"Typically they check if there are performance issues, especially low productivity, or if the employee is struggling to get their work done, in general," says Emmen. "When they check, the system is set up so that they can see a log of pages viewed."

What have they found? They have had employees spending hours during company time searching for other jobs, planning their weddings, apartment and house hunting, and visiting a variety of dating websites. The company also found one employee who spent the equivalent of a week and a half of her working hours using the Internet for personal use.

Emmen and Katherine Spencer Lee, executive director of Robert Half Technology, emphasize how important it is to inform and educate employees on their Internet policies. Tales of workers losing their jobs for inappropriate Internet use seem to be growing - don't be next.

"All companies should have a corporate policy in place that outlines acceptable web use by employees," says Lee. "Communicating and explaining web access policies, along with the risks associated with web browsing, helps employees understand why these guidelines are in place."

Matt Krumrie is a freelance writer from Inver Grove Heights, and has nine years of experience reporting on the employment industry. The first Sunday of each month this column will answer readers' questions. E-mail questions or subject ideas to askmatt@startribune.com.

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