Previous Dilemma:
Am I too strict with our Internet policy?

At our company, most employees have Internet access at their workstations. Ordinarily, I don’t mind a few minutes of web browsing here and there for a break or even a little personal business. It’s the same as a quick water-cooler conversation.

Yet as the web has grown and become a business necessity, more employees hang out on sites such as Facebook and Twitter for company and personal communications. Am I going overboard in wanting to control the amount of time employees spend online for personal surfing? How can I trust them to get the work done without curtailing this personal web browsing? Or does it really save productivity since they get the mental break they need?

— Phil

Summary of Advice Received

Internet: Enemy and Friend
Trust your employees to get the job done
by Meryl K. Evans, Editor, Professional Services Journal

Employees may not surf the Internet for personal reasons on their work computers, but they have the tools — cell phones and tablets — to do it on work time elsewhere.

Furthermore, social media and online resources intertwine with many people’s roles. This battle between business and personal surfing time is a tough one to conquer, but companies can make it work for everyone.

How do you manage Internet use? One of the first steps is to review your company’s Internet policy. Readers and experts share their experiences and thoughts on the issue that should help you shape your policy and keep employees as productive as possible:

• Trust employees.
• Look at employee performance.
• Train employees.

Share your experiences and tips for finding balance with Internet usage by joining the conversation and leaving a comment. Or ask your own question.

Trust employees

Imagine how enforcing a strict Internet policy could affect morale. With many cutbacks in perks, raises and benefits, trusting employees to get the work done empowers them. When they know their managers trust them to make smart choices, they are inspired to do good work. The Internet gives them a way to take a break so they return to their business tasks in a better mood and frame of mind.

Still, Internet access in the office is a privilege. Managers can set guidelines, as you have to draw the line on some things that aren’t safe for viewing at work.

Look at employee performance

One reader recommends focusing on performance. “If your team is achieving its goals, time spent on the Internet won’t matter. Is what you expect from each team member clear? That’s a tough question you must have a prompt answer for and something worth spending your waking hours on.”

If employees do their job and meet expectations, then why worry about what they do on the Internet other than visiting inappropriate sites? One reader allows employees to use the Internet for personal activities because restricting this will do more harm. Why affect morale any more than the economy and environment already have?

The company can take extra steps by blocking websites that employees shouldn’t access on their work computers. Just remember, they can access them on their phones, but at least, they won’t be on a monitor for all to see.

Use the Internet as a route for strengthening your relationship with employees by letting their performance dictate what they can and can’t do. Employees do plenty of water-cooler talk, so why not see personal Internet surfing the same way? As long as the employee has clear goals and expectations, does the work, takes responsibility, everything works out. When an employee fails to meet expectations, hold a meeting to go over performance and figure out the cause of not meeting expectations. It’s most likely not time spent on the Internet.

Train employees

Employees will find a way around company-blocked websites and do their own thing. So rather than fighting it, train them on appropriate Internet usage. The training should cover the types of sites employees can or can’t visit (for example, outside e-mail, social media, adult sites). Because employees represent the company and its brand, consider a review of how to represent the company brand and how staff can support the brand. Finally, emphasize that they can use the Internet for personal things as long as it has doesn’t affect performance.

You can reinforce the training with an Internet usage policy that pops up from time to time as one reader explains. “Employees must understand that this is not their network but a business network with consequences for their actions. The business must protect itself from malicious code, data loss and reputation. A simple but effective way is to every day redirect users from the first web page they access to the corporate Internet usage policy with an ‘I understand’ button to remind users that the company monitors and records their Internet access. This simple action will bring users’ attention to the fact they are on a corporate network not their network, and they will think twice about abusing the privilege,” a reader says.

What do you have in your Internet policy that works for you? Facing other work challenges? Ask a question.

About the editor

Meryl K. Evans is senior editor at InternetVIZ and the content maven behind the Connected Digest, IT Solutions Journal and Professional Services Journal. Follow her on Twitter @merylkevans.