Human Resources Policies
The Internet is great for business, but it has also brought us “cyber laziness.” This is when employees use an organization’s Internet during formal work hours to browse non-work related websites and to access personal email. Research indicated that the most frequent cyber loafing activities include: gambling and gambling, job hunting, live entertainment and streaming media, online stock trading, personal emails, reading cyber sex and pornography, recreational browsing, and shopping .
Cyber-loafing has led many organizations to respond by implementing policies that restrict access to the Internet. Managers hope that by doing so, they will reduce wasted time and increase productivity. The risks associated with cyber loafing are serious and can lead to legal liabilities for the employer. Technically, the employer owns the network and computer service on which the material is posted. Therefore, when employees engage in illegal activities online from work, they can lead to legal liabilities for employers.
On the plus side, while ‘loafing’ suggests negative work-related activities, it does have a positive impact on employees. According to Professor Ronald Rust of the University of Maryland, when workers use the Internet for personal purposes at work, the organization benefits. The professor claims that banning Internet access will lower employee morale. So a real quandary is unfolding. On the one hand, managers feel that workers are wasting their time cyber-slacking, and on the other hand, employees don’t like the idea that they are being spied on. As a result, employees can feel that they are no longer trusted, become stressed, and begin to wonder if they can’t be trusted with the network, why should they be trusted with anything else.
So here’s today’s daily HR tip: If you haven’t already, create a company internet usage policy that includes the following eight points:
- Specify the permitted uses and prohibited uses of the Internet within the organization
- Identify the responsibilities and accountability of users.
- Describe how the policy will be promoted and enforced
- Get an endorsement from all users – each staff member should have a copy of the policy
- Provide guidance on how breaches will be dealt with and managed.
- Provide a point of contact for policy questions
- Include a section for definitions of terms used in the policy
- Explain how the policy reflects the current needs of employees and the business.
With a clear Internet policy, the organization can strike a good balance between providing reasonable freedom for employees to access the Internet and minimizing any legal exposure to the organization.
