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Working and Personal Internet Use: How Much Time Is Too Much Time?

by Anne Marie Hampshire

You've landed your first "real" job and you're excited to begin. But you're probably wondering if you can take your beloved non-work companions with you: your IM, your e-mail, and your Internet. It's unlikely that your new employer will crack down and ban all non-work related Internet usage-the people have spoken, and they demand their Internet access, even while at work. But how much is too much? Let's take a closer look.

The World Wide Web

According to a Salary.com survey of more than 2,000 employees, 60% of workers waste time at work, and personal Internet use ranked as the #1 culprit. As a result, more and more companies are looking to cut into your personal Internet time in the workplace.

According to a Barracuda Network survey of more than 200 IT security workers, 53% of businesses employ software to limit Web surfing, and 65% plan to enforce Web surfing limits in the coming year. The top two reasons cited are protecting the network from malware (70%) and cutting back on unproductive employee time (52%).

Ethically, using the Web on company time remains a murky area. In 2006, a New York City judge ruled that a New York City Department of Education employee, Toquir Choudhri, should only be given a reprimand for surfing on the job. While Choudhri was dismissed anyway, the case tended to show personal Internet use in a harmless light. "The courts say they have to monitor their employees, but if workers have downtime, under national labor laws you can't discipline them for browsing the Internet. It's the same thing as chatting with coworkers at the water cooler," says Zachary Hummel, a partner at New York City law firm Bryan Cave.

E-mail and Instant Messaging

E-mail and IM are the other causes of concern for companies. According to Forrester Research, more than 25% of US companies have fired an employee for inappropriate e-mailing. And it's not just using a work e-mail account on the clock that gets people in hot water. Web-based accounts like Hotmail, Gmail, and Yahoo Mail are also easily monitored by employers.

"The state of the law as to the private sector is there is no right to privacy in the workplace, provided the employer has negated any expectation of privacy, either in handbooks, manuals or postings," according to New York labor lawyer Evan Spelfogel.

Instant messaging has also become a staple of the workplace. The American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute say that about one-third of US employees use instant messaging at work. But while many companies are still wary of IM because of its distracting nature and its potential for breaching security, many organizations are embracing it as the wave of the future for electronic communications due to its immediacy. In fact, tech consulting heavyweight Gartner looks for IM to be the go-to tool for voice, video and chat for 95% of employees at large corporations within five years.

The Bottom Line

To be safe, you should become an expert on your company's rules and regulations. Many companies have an, "acceptable use," policy in place that can tell you where the boundaries are and how to avoid getting caught on the wrong side.

"People should have no expectation of privacy on the Internet," says computer-security expert Ira Winkler. "It's natural to express yourself fully in e-mail-but before it reaches me, it goes through about a dozen computers. The reality is, it's available not only to your employer but to anyone along the way."

Here are two parting reminders to ensure you can have your job and e-mail, too:

• The Internet is much less private than you think.
• Familiarity with your company's culture and its tolerance for personal Internet use is the key to workplace browsing bliss.