Should we use inernet for personal use at our workingplaces?
By anetteh
@anetteh (3590)
Sweden
April 29, 2009 1:21am CST
I read an article about a woman with migran staying in a dark room trying to recover from it got dismist from her work just becouse she was online and logged in facebook. According to the company "someone that is well enough to use facebook is well enough to work".
I also read that some of our employer forbidd their workers to use facebook at their computers.
facebook have exploded around the world and many people are using this network site.
So even me and my friends and cow workers. I never use facebook online at work, how would I have time for that when ten eldre needs me to help them. I can not understand that really, using internet for personal use at work. But to dismist someone from work is that legit?
My self, I do not use my working place´s computer for personal use more than I read the news on my brakes. I also read my mails now or then during the days. But I need to use the computer since my employer communicates with their workers throuhg internal server. I also use the inernal server to communicate with our nurses. But other than that.
I do not think it is wise to use the employers computers for personal use. And of course if you abuse the trust you have when you are aloud to use internet at you job, you shorly should be dismist. And I also think that if a person is sick he/she should go home and use his/hers own interent for personal use. I have som mixed feelings about this but the first time I think a warning should be propriate first, and if it happen again then I would consider an dismist.
What do you think?
Should we be aloud to use inernet for personal use at our working places? And is it fair to be dismist for using internet for personal use at your workplace?
I also read that some of our employer forbidd their workers to use facebook at their computers.
facebook have exploded around the world and many people are using this network site.
So even me and my friends and cow workers. I never use facebook online at work, how would I have time for that when ten eldre needs me to help them. I can not understand that really, using internet for personal use at work. But to dismist someone from work is that legit?
My self, I do not use my working place´s computer for personal use more than I read the news on my brakes. I also read my mails now or then during the days. But I need to use the computer since my employer communicates with their workers throuhg internal server. I also use the inernal server to communicate with our nurses. But other than that.
I do not think it is wise to use the employers computers for personal use. And of course if you abuse the trust you have when you are aloud to use internet at you job, you shorly should be dismist. And I also think that if a person is sick he/she should go home and use his/hers own interent for personal use. I have som mixed feelings about this but the first time I think a warning should be propriate first, and if it happen again then I would consider an dismist.
What do you think?
Should we be aloud to use inernet for personal use at our working places? And is it fair to be dismist for using internet for personal use at your workplace?1 person likes this
19 responses
@Elixiress (3878)
•
29 Apr 09
I have to agree that if you have a migraine then you should not be logging onto facebook, because I know personally that any form of light hurts my eyes / head even a tiny bit of daylight through the curtains. If she had said "I have a cold" and then went on facebook then that would be fine, because she may not have gone into work not wanting to infect her colleagues. But claiming to have a migraine and then being able to look at a computer screen is just a lie.
I think that if you have work to do at work then you should not be doing personal things, but if your job is one of those that is customer dependant eg you are answering phones. If no one is ringing you then there is no problem with using it for personal time. Also during your breaks if your time, so you should be able to do what you want with that time.
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
30 Apr 09
Facebook at working hours is not OK. Brake or no brake. Personal issues on working hours is in my opinion not ok. However, we are working about 8 hours a day, and lots of work at home to..most of us have familys and kids to look after so I think reading news on your brakes online would be propriate....and you get some topics to discuss at work with your cowworkers to...lol. This lade did a wrong thing, if she would like to be on facebook while she was resting from her migran, she should have went home....not stay at work.
@Elixiress (3878)
•
30 Apr 09
In your original post it sounded as though the woman was not at work and was in fact at home. Therefore she was not on facebook at work, but on facebook at home.
Also I do not see the problem with going on facebook during your break, because it is not work's time it is your own personal time.
@cbhomework (545)
• Malta
29 Apr 09
I totally agrre with you and I noticed that what we posted is very similar!
@jayrene (2708)
• Philippines
29 Apr 09
in my opinion it is not right for an employee to use the company's computer for personal use, much use the internet for personal's sake. i've known a lot of people that do these things... they should be considerate of the company. you go there to work and not to do other personal things. logging in to social network sites or chatting while at work is not a proper conduct of an employee.
i think dismissing the employee right away after that is a hard punishment, i would't say it's unfair because what the employee did was unfair for the company. a warning for first offense, suspension for next offense and dismissal for third offense, i think that would be more appropriate.
but since the company can decide what ever they want for the sake of the company, employees can do nothing to it. they are just hired. that would serve as a warning to the others not to do the same thing... and if they are doing it already, they better stop it. workplace is for working and not for playing around.
too bad though, i feel sorry for the employee that got fired, she wasn't careful and it was unwise of her in the first place to do that. if she had logged out before going away from her computer, she may not have been caught... =P .
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
29 Apr 09
I wondered why she stayed at work when she did not feel well. If she wanted to be online for personal use, than she should have gone home and recouver from her migran there and be online...lol. She was careless and she paid a high price fot it. I also think it was to hash, a warning, expension and then a dismissal would have been apropriate.
It is really careless if You think about it. You could couse such damage for the company if you get a virus or something like that. It is not worth lose your job over to be social networking in privat in working hours.
@jayrene (2708)
• Philippines
29 Apr 09
maybe because she dont want any deductions on her salary come payday that's why she didn't take an absence even though she is sick.
or probably, she havent got any migraine yet when she went to work, and then later on while facebooking she got a migraine attack from too much networking, replying to messages from friends and such... lol
i feel sorry for her though... to think that its hard to find a job these days and she got fired.
well i hope she had learned her lesson, the hard way.... and i hope everyone else in their workplace (those that havent been caught yet) will never do the same act again, if they are doing it.
@apples99 (6556)
• United States
30 Apr 09
Well I think that if we are at work and if we are on the clock we should not use the computer, but if we are on a lunch brake and officially off the clock then it should be ok to use the computer, but just during our lunch brake and not during work hours because after all we are at our job and there are not paying us to fool around on the net, but on the other hand, I think that if a person is caught on the clock on the company computer they should be given several warnings before there just let go, but thats just my opinion
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
30 Apr 09
We all have our thinking about this topic I had, most of us think it is not alright to use computers at work for personal issues...however, I also think it is alright on your brakes..as long as you do not get some virus or something, that will shore get you sacked right away...and I can imagine also a lawsuit for the cost to resolve what your doing cost the company...something to consider when using computers at work....lol Otherwise I also think it ok to read news and stuff like that during your brakes...
@jazel_juan (15746)
• Philippines
30 Apr 09
it is ok for us to use the internet here at our office place as long as it is not during office hours, during break time we could use it for personal use:)
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
30 Apr 09
Yes, I guess most of us are aloud to use the internet during our brakes. So am I, but I do not networking at my job, that I can do at home, no I read the news and find some topic to talk about during working hours...that is more riskfree lol.
I do not think it is ok to use the companys computers for personal issues...other than needed.
@kmilfabic (45)
• Philippines
30 Apr 09
Using internet at the office for personal use is not right. The company is paying us to work for them and be productive during work hours. Doing this would make us so preoccupied from work and worst scenario is that if the boss of the company finds out that instead of working we are just surfing the net we would be terminated from work.
@angelajoy (1825)
• Philippines
30 Apr 09
I think our employers should allow us to use the Internet from time to time. After all, it helps us relax when we are feeling overstressed and helps us avoid getting burned out in work. But of course, there should be a limit to our Internet usage. Our employers hire use because they think we are mature enough for our work, so we should show them that they made the right choice in hiring us and limit our Internet usage ourselves.
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
30 Apr 09
Hi there angelajoy and welcome to mylot. No, I feel that is wrong. Ok, if you read the news and your emails that is fine with me...social networking is not OK for me. We are not paid for doing that...lol. There are other ways of relaxing, like take a coffeebrake with your cowworkers...
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
29 Apr 09
i never use the internet at my workplace for personal use during work hours... only during my breaks or when i haven't started or have finished my shifts... i think it is not the right thing to do to use the workplace computer for personal use during work time... it can be considered as cheating as the employer pays you to work and not surf the internet... about the woman, i think the employer has the point to sack her as well as she had betrayed the trust and to serve as a warning to other employees as well... i read the news and i pity her... but it is her fault and she has to bear the consequences... take care and have a nice day...
@manleyjoe (1597)
• United States
29 Apr 09
I would have written into the employee handbook or somewhere as to how the use of the computer was used for all my employees and if they violated this policy then yes I would have no choice but to dismiss them. After all I am paying them to work not meet boyfriend or other such stuff online. As to the article you refer to looking a computer screen with a Migraine is not a good idea, the light would cause it to be unbearable. So it would be my opinion that she was faking the headache to get out of work or she want to be in private to use the internet for personal things.
I pay my employees to work not to play on the internet.
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
29 Apr 09
Well, even if there is in the handbook of an worker´s ability to use a companys computer it may not be followed. I work as a assistance nurse for geriatric care for our local community, and the policies are only use the internet at work as limited as possible. We have an internal communication with our empoyer therefore we have to login now and then during the day to find some news in there. However, we are not allowed at working hours to spend online for personal issues. But that I know is not followed, I have a cowworker who sits there after the morning coffee and the issues we are supose to do are done...I do not like it rules are there for some reason.
@deedeehall (1144)
• United States
29 Apr 09
i think it is wrong to use the computer at work for these types of reasons . the work place should be taken seriousley and the computer should be used for work. this is not what the company is paying them for. sorry i sound so strict it just does not seem like the right thing to do.
@sn_singh56 (261)
• India
29 Apr 09
If u r good enough to relax you r good enough to work at the place of your employment.No mistaking this.Dismissing a employee for this lapse may be too harsh in a given situation but no denying the fact that employee was treating his/her office time for purposes other than office work.This does send a wrong signal and it must be taken note of.
@larish (2213)
• Philippines
29 Apr 09
I don't think we can use office equipment for personal use only on certain time. I can use it during my breaks. Social Networks keeps me in touch with my family and friends. My employer really don't mind if I use it on breaks. And just to be fair with my employer, I make sure that my time in working won't be use in checking my facebook, friendster and other social networks.
@cbhomework (545)
• Malta
29 Apr 09
I suffer from migraines every now and then and honestly I cannot understand how this person could even stay in front of a computer. When I have my migraines, I have to close down blinds, close curtains and sometimes even hide under the bed covers. Yes it's that bad. On the other hand, if I have a terrible cold or fever I cannot go to work, but I can stay in front of the computer, so I don't neither understand the employer nor the employee.
As for using internet at work for personal use, I use it but like you I don't have time for face book or wasting time. I read my emails sometimes, but have to continue with real work and I am always on the go from one room to another and am in front of pc to write some things but not to face book!
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
30 Apr 09
I can not understand that either, if you have a head ace there is nowhere you can sit infront of the screen that would be to much. I also have those sometimes and then I have to lay down and put my sunglasses on...so I guess this worker, perhaps was not honest..or stupid to get caught...however, she learned her lesson well.
I read news and my emails to during my working hours, and we are allowed to that. Otherwise I only use it for work only.
@myjunkid (37)
• United States
29 Apr 09
Theoritically speaking, one is not supposed to do! But if you go down why! May it might cause your productivity of the resource going down... if you take there are kind of jobs where you need to have a kind of refreshment, or when you work for long time you might need to access your personal mails. Not all complanies are asking to stop accessing internet for personal stuff. They might be providing employees an option to use internet during the specific period on each day. But there will be lots of conditions like you can not access adult sites, profit making sites, not to download more than certain limit extra... As far as you are sure that you have met the employers expectation you can!...
@pwning (38)
•
29 Apr 09
don't!! i never use personal things on my job. ~even im the boss heehee~
because peoples may gang up and steal things from your computer (maybe and if they found youre wierd) so... if you can PRETEND that you are working and not doing private things, you may do it but not so good.
if the boss found that you will be fired!
if youre the boss, the workers may leave because they think thier boss is lazy.
LOL~~!! (laugh out loud)
but seriously. above facts are real and i write in myself from the facts from many internets i gathered and done a summary so don't copy !!
im doing hard~~
LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL
@eichs1 (1934)
• Philippines
29 Apr 09
Work is work. No one should ever use his work time doing personal things. That's the basic rule in any working place but some companies are lenient on this matter.
In my opinion, it is not fair for the company for employees to be using the internet for personal use. Well, reading e-mails might be allowed but even that should be only if there are no pending works to be done.
As for the dismissal of a worker for using internet for personal use, this depends on the company's policy. If there's no policy about this and no precedence either, I do think that dismissal is too harsh. However, in your above story, the employee is supposed to be resting for severe migraine attack. But what did she do? It's not just the use of internet for personal use that is being questioned here. There's malice involved. As you have quoted: "someone that is well enough to use facebook is well enough to work".
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
29 Apr 09
I agree with you to hundred procent. Facebook is social networking, not at work, but oline and it should stay there. However, it is ok doing it at home, me and my cowworkers are all on there. I also have my sisters so....but never, go in there during working hours, I do not have the time...10 eldre in geriatric care do take up my time...lol
@net_ankit (643)
• India
29 Apr 09
I will say no if there is restriction for this then you are not allowed to use internet without emergency or importent work. Why should we have to take some risk for our job just for net?
or facebook is just timepass for all users, don't take risk for this kind of time wasting activities.
@anetteh (3590)
• Sweden
29 Apr 09
On a work meeting our bos said that we are not allowed to use it at work. I do have a cowworker who sit there during working hours when it is calm. The thing is that it had come to our emplyer´s attantion that people are talking about the eldre on facebook and that is not allowed, we have a strict secrecy and are not allowed to say anything what so ever about our personal issues when it comes to the eldre. I work as assistance nurse.
I agree with you 100 %
@libramillie (191)
• Ireland
29 Apr 09
Being a member of the company,i think one shouldn't use the computer for personal matters,don't mention to surf on the internet during the working time.We should devote all of our attention to the serious work,after finishing the work,i think one should relax oneself through listening to music,and this shouldn't be found by the boss.
@Wolfeheart (59)
• United States
29 Apr 09
I will say, that with the addition of internet-functionality throughout the world, it is still best to ensure that employee hours are spent working rather than enjoying the many "applications" that Facebook can deliver. At the same time, in an emergency situation, social networking sites like facebook can be crucial tools to help save lives. If you've been kidnapped and your phone battery is almost empty, would you have a better chance of rescue by posting a facebook status, or by calling the number of someone who may or may not pick up? I facebook status can be delivered to all of your friends on facebook- compared to one call that could wind up on a never-checked message machine.
As for overall personal use, I'd suggest limiting the amount of time that can be spent, but outright blocking of a site at any workplace is simply wrong- it could be considered simply another form of censorship for the entire workplace to endure.
@zzyw87 (1254)
• Philippines
29 Apr 09
I think it is unfair to be fired for a simple reason as using facebook in the office. The company could have given a lighter punishment for the personal use of the internet in the office, like being given a warning first. For me, it is alright to use the internet for personal use in the office as long as you don't have any pending tasks at the moment or if you have already finished all of it. To add, you can also surf the net during your entitled breaks. The company cannot dictate how you should spend your breaks, right?
