Community weekly poll: Should you be fired for using the internet at work?
Being fired from internet use
by bjz53402 - 12/6/08 10:33 PM In reply to: Using the internet is constitutionally protected by inmyopinionDo you think I have a case
I use the internet has part of my job function
As Far as I know I'm the only one they did this to.
Hey, it's 2006
by hvsteve1 - 5/5/06 8:41 AM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14A NY City administrative law judge has recently ruled on a city employee who was fired for being on the internet. His ruling boiled down to, ''Welcome to the 21st century''. What he said was that internet use is no different, in this day, than reading the paper or talking on the phone. In other words, if you work in an office where the guy next to you is reading the Daily News and the woman in the cubicle behind yours gets 20 calls a day from her kids at home, and the office puts up with it, you reading your email or checking airfares is no different. However, if the guy reading the paper could be fired for goofing off or the lady with the kids is told they cannot keep calling, you can't surf the web. Mayor Bloomburg fired a guy on the spot, recently, when he walked into an office and the apparently unattended computer had freecell or some such game up on the screen.
no,you should not be fired.
by juno634 - 5/5/06 10:09 AM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14At my job i know all the IT guys and they tell
me alot of stuff about the executives.They surf
the net all the time and especially on porno sites.
Nothing is done to them.That's not allowed at any job.For them to fire anyone it needs to start at the top level positions first.Including the president or ceo no exceptions.
same answer here. Case-by-case decision here.
by ackmondual - 5/5/06 10:52 AM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14first off, nice to see a linear thread. All the replies to specific posts creates nested structure which is organized, but every now and then, it's nice to see the replies go straight down.
I agree that there is no absolute yes or no answer. You can't have a company where ppl surf all the time at the cost of significant productivity, the company's security, or reputation at the employers' expense just as you can't run a company w/o giving any employees any flexibility. Employees and employers have to meet halfway on this. Well, as an employer, you could not offer any flexibility as it isn't exactly illegal, but the job market isn't THAT bad. People are going to quit and look for other jobs that are better in this regard.
In the olden days (altho these are still going on to some extent today), people can be fired for coming in 2 minutes after 8a (tardiness), saying a single curse word (unprofessionalism), inappropriate attire (not sticking with business colors like light blue or white collered shirt), or going 2 minutes over their break. It's harsh, but I hear of stories where it did happen. However, by showing employees flexibility, they'll ususally be more than happy to go the extra mile for the place they work for (unpaid overtime, company loyalty, etc.). Not surprisingly, this is why some jobs types and work environments have such high turnover rates.
Another case by case is the work environment itself. If you're job requires a security clearance, I can see more strict rules on how and where you use office internet access. If you need to monitor specific company activities like major shipment activities, then you need to have your full attn on the job. My company uses WebSense to filter out games, personal email, and other non business sites. You can still get some gaming sites since they aren't covered, and entertainment, news, and other email sites aren't covered by this filter. Thank goodness for an https personal email account 
As for the rest of personal use, many companies don't seem to mind some1 say.... using 2 hours of personal internet use a day. They can be responsible about it by not hogging large bandwidth, not going to dubious or illegal sites/activities (child porn, bit torrent DLs) or letting it get in the way of their work. They can do this and still get their assignments and duties completed. If a company allows employees to surf some "fun sites" of interest like news, blogs, and newsgroups, there should be nothing wrong with legal porn sites, but since it's a gray area, many places will just ban them outright to be on the safe side.
And finally some ppl need to use internet for personal, but adminstrative reasons. Some already mentioned include communicating with your children or sitter, but also include some forms of banking and other activities that need to be taken now. It would be unreasonable in these cases for employees working 8 to 12 hours a day to wait till they get home to do it or do it on a weekend inste4ad... assuming the other places are even open outside of office hours.
Absolutely not!
by kforred - 5/5/06 11:09 AM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14Now, whether you should be fired for wasting company time, not getting your job done, illegal on-line activity, etc is entirely another matter.
Wrong
by - 5/7/06 5:33 AM In reply to: Absolutely not! by kforredBandwidth is a resource. When you make personal use of it you're wasting it.
As an example, you reading comics online may interrupt the video conference call your boss is making in the boardroom and cause the company to lose a hundred-thousand-dollar deal. In that case you should be very thankful if being fired was the only punishment you received.
I'm "pro internet-for-personal-usage", but I still agree
by ackmondual - 5/7/06 10:49 AM In reply to: Wrong byIt isn't just at work. I've seen cases where at college campuses, a select few hog all the bandwidth through p2p programs and other file sharing utilities.
Again, you <I>could</I> have your cake and eat it too. If your company isn't THAT strict (for all the wrong AND right reasons so be sure to check your co's policy first), some of my colleagues who stay late b/c they need the time to meet deadlines will only do higher bandwidth activities like streaming internet radio stations after 6p when the vast majority of ppl have already left for the day.
As far as viewing comics online, i gotta agree with that too. However, this is a team effort. If you comply and don't do it, the 15 out of 30 other ppl on your floor who are doing it will still clog up bandwidth. So while your effort is commendable, unless those other ppl get warnings or let go, you'll still be stuck with the same problem
not necessarily
by sand3141 - 5/5/06 12:39 PM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14If you're viewing porn or something that the general public should not see than dismissal would be somewhat just or couseling and warning first. Using a company pc though does have some issues since it does not belong to the employee using the equipment and if there is an administrator it is likely things would be monitored.
Fired for using the Internet at work
by zzzqaz - 5/5/06 12:51 PM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14Only if there is a written policy that forbids you from using company property for personal business, and only there is documentation that you have been advised/warned a couple of times not to use your company's property for your personal use.
viewing internet at work
by tere811 - 5/5/06 4:47 PM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14I think it is perfectly ok to use internet as a part of your work and in your daily work schedule. Sometimes it is used to find information about research, accessing database, finding about technical details and so on. Viewing news items and the like is not harmful. If one accesses pornographic sites or uses to entice others for nefarious activities, then it should be punished.
Yes
by - 5/6/06 8:22 AM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14I had replied to this thread but my reply has mysteriously disappeared.
Long story short:
It's the company's network you're using. They have EVERY RIGHT to dictate what you can and can't do with it. That includes making personal use of it during breaktime.
It's all in the eye of the beholder
by to _vista_or_not_to_vista - 5/8/06 7:35 PM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14It seems people are arguing back and forth with blanket statements about whther everyone shold or should not be allowed to access the internet for personal reasons. It really depends on the company and a case by case situation. I work at a high tech company and if we are waiting for something to process on the computer, we are allowed to surf appropriate websites, even our online email accounts. There are certain people that abuse this privilege and are surfing the net while they should be working to meet our deadlines. As such, it falls on the hands of the supervisor and their superiors to decide the policy. Those positions above the employee's direct supervisor should set the policy and the supervisor should up hold them if they are strict and not allow any personal access, or, the supervisor must review each person's productivity and decide whether they are given such a privilege or allowed to continue at later dates. I myself have a supervisor who is firm but fair. I can access appropriate web sites of my own personal interests if they do not put the computer network at risk from viruses and spyware, and are not possibly offensive to co-workers and clients alike. Another condition is that I and my co-workers have to meet deadlines on or ahead of schedule and we do.
NO PERSON SHOULD GET FIRED AT WORK SERFING THE INTERNET
by turnergirl24 - 5/9/06 11:32 PM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14A PERSON IN MOST WORK GETS 2 15 MINUTES BREAK EACH DAY
PLUS YOUR DINNER BREAK EITHER 1/2 TO 1 HOUR WEHE THEY
GO ON INTERNET IT THEIR TIME SO NO THEY SHOULD GET
FIRED ON THEIR TIME
Getting fired for using the internet
by bjz53402 - 12/6/08 1:13 AM In reply to: NO PERSON SHOULD GET FIRED AT WORK SERFING THE INTERNET by turnergirl24I was fired for using the internet.
Part of my Job is to use the internet on a daily bases.
The company has spyware to check on you.
I seem to be the only one singled out,investigated,and terminated in 2 day period in a 300 person company.
I don't take breaks normally, so I check my home E-mail this takes less than 5 minutes a day.
My question should I see a lawyer? Is this some thing that should be challenged? My co-workes were dumb founded. What do you think I should do?
As a business owner I say....
by PumaSpirit - 6/18/06 8:19 PM In reply to: Should you be fired for using the internet at work? by jensmc14YES!
Businesses pay employees to work for them, not waste their time, money and resources. Not to mention the dangers of intrusion into the network, viruses, worms, etc. from unsavory sites.
You want to surf the web? Do it on your own time, your own dime, on your own pc. Do it at work and you can find yourself another job and face possible legal consequences, maybe even costing you more than you'd ever earn if your surfing disrupts business in general and causes damages to the business in specific.
Just because a service IS available, does not mean it is yours to use at your leisure.
Respect what is NOT yours to do with as you please and you shouldn't have any problems keeping your job.
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