Do You Email and Surf on Company Time?

Why not to send personal emails at work and to others who are at work.

Do you forward jokes to coworkers during company time (NSFW)? Surf the Web for non-job-related info or a recipe for tonight’s dinner? Do you email friends and family members from work using your company email address?

Oh, oh…

If you are honest, you’d admit you do.

I mean, who doesn’t?

But if everyone jumped off a bridge, should you?

Now think about what kind of employee you want to be viewed as.

Company Time is Company Time

If you are guilty of using company online resources, you are part of a group of employees that are putting their careers at risk. But, of course, you don’t want to find out the hard way that these “on the job” activities are unacceptable.

But you know that already. You are at work, after all. None of these activities are part of your job description.

Regarding email activities while on the job, you should not be sending superfluous emails to friends or coworkers or dilly-dallying on websites. You know better than that.

How will your boss find out? More on that later…

If you think about it, it only makes sense for business owners to keep tabs on what their employees are up to while on company time for productivity and legal reasons.

Cyberslacking at Work

30 to 40 percent of employee Internet activity is non-work-related, according to IDC Research.
According to Websense Inc, workplace Internet misuse costs U.S. businesses $63 billion in lost productivity annually.
Charles Schwab reveals that 72 percent of its customers plan to buy or sell mutual funds over the next six months, and 92 percent plan to do so online during work hours.
70 percent of all Internet porn traffic occurs during the 9-to-5 workday, according to SexTracker. This means that one in five employees access cybersex at work.
28 percent of individuals making gift purchases do so from their offices or cubicles, according to Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Source SHRM

Add all that up, and that’s called lost productivity. If you were an employer, how would you view your employees not using technology properly? Probably not so good.

Employer Monitoring Practices

To be safe, there should be no expectation of privacy at work. That’s your second mistake after thinking this type of behavior is okay. Their network, their resources, you are on company time. So, don’t plan on any privacy.

Employers may use various methods to check employee online activities, including:

Monitoring software: Employers may use monitoring software that tracks employee online activity, including websites visited, search terms used, and files downloaded. This software can provide detailed reports on an employee’s internet usage.
Network monitoring: Employers may monitor their network to see which websites are being accessed and which applications are being used. This can provide information on employee online activity without necessarily monitoring individual employees.
Email and chat monitoring: Employers may monitor employee email and chat communications to see if they engage in inappropriate or unproductive online activities while at work.
Social media monitoring: Employers may monitor employee social media activity, especially if the employee is representing the company online or if the company has a social media policy in place.

It’s important to note that employers should have a clear policy in place regarding online monitoring and should communicate this policy to employees. Employees may have an incorrect expectation of privacy in their online activities. That is why it is crucial to be aware of your company’s policy.

Employers should also be mindful of applicable laws and regulations related to online monitoring in their jurisdiction.

How do you use your employer’s technology resources?

Do you reflect the epitome of professionalism by using company assets properly? Or are you a cyberslacker?

Your email and online habits at work can enhance or hinder your career path. How you choose to use your employer’s technology resources speaks loudly to the type of employee you are — and your potential.

Why not brush up on your Business Email Etiquette Basics?