For example, if you’re a social media marketing agency, Twitter and Facebook are integral to your operations. Findings of this study provide useful insights to … In order to address these limitations, the present study employs a nationally representative sample of American workers and tests the relationship between nine cyberslacking behaviors and a variety of demographic and work-specific predictors. Experts say that letting employees use the Internet at work is not always a bad thing, but unrestricted use of Facebook and YouTube can hurt the performance of critical business tasks. It could be a matter of personal resistance — some workers are dissatisfied with some kind of condition in the workplace and in order to retaliate, to take some time back, they engage in personal activities at work. Photos: Wilfred Iven, Andreas Palmer, Shutterstock, 228 Park Ave S. #39903New York, NY 10003 USA, The Reality of Personal Internet Use at Work. Take a break but keep your job. You can’t just say “you can take as much time off as you want,” it has to be within certain reasonable limits. What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions about personal internet use at work? This problem is HUGE. Introduction Cyberslacking (also referred to as cyberloafing, non-work-related computing, cyber deviance, personal use at work, Internet abuse, workplace Internet leisure browsing, and junk computing) is the use of Internet and mobile technology during work hours for personal purposes (Bock & Ho, 2009; Johnson & Indvik, 2004; Lim, 2002; Mastrangelo, Everton, & Jolton, 2006). Three measures of cyberslacking are employed to provide a richer analysis of the phenomenon: individual behaviors, frequency of cyberslacking, and variety of cyberslacking. Developing an environment in which employees self-monitor personal online time at work … Alex: With more and more digital technologies and algorithms being introduced in the workplace, we are seeing that a lot of work that used to require human input is or has already disappeared. ► Media habits positively predict cyberslacking variety & frequency. When you’re multitasking, how can one say that you are not being productive? The survey finds that workers with Internet access at home and at work used an average of 3.7 hours per week of work time for personal Internet use. It has to be negotiated in that particular workplace. Job-related internet use may include research, training tasks, and anything that would help someone do their job. They take a much needed mental break so they can continue working. Have you come across any corporate culture success stories from not restricting personal internet use at work? With sites like YouTube, eBay, and Facebook and access to instant messaging and email tempting us at every turn, it can be difficult to resist personal Internet usage at work. It’s only a minority of workers who actively sabotage their work by engaging in personal activities in the workplace. Use the Internet for your own personal use on your unpaid lunch break only. In our age, there is more and more task-oriented work so whenever you have different tasks, you have periods of time when you are inactive and there is no work. It could just be a matter of figuring out if your kids are alright. Order Customized Papers. People do it for different reasons because they have different life situations. A well-thought-out internet policy helps you enjoy the benefits of the internet while reducing the pitfalls. For other employees, it is just a matter of procrastination. For employers, the main concern is productivity and there is a lot of research on that starting in the early nineties: to what extent personal internet use affects productivity. If you have permission to use the Internet at work, you must ensure that this never: takes place at the expense of contractual hours interferes with the Organisation’s work relates to a personal business interest involves the use of chat rooms or similar services. ► We test predictors of cyberslacking variety & frequency for nine behaviors. Define Consequences. Employee internet usage policy elements What is appropriate employee internet usage? How do you think people should approach personal internet use at work? Because of that, employers are recognizing that this is an important dimension and will allow more personal internet use at work. 116 views; Shares; Tweets; Shares; Facebook Messenger; Pins; Shares; Email There are so many different dimensions and sides to the story. In this study, personal Internet use is defined as the use of Internet for all non-work-related activities, either goal driven or not. Alex Miltsov is a PhD candidate at the Department of Sociology at McGill University and is currently studying the use of digital technologies at work.His current research project examines the ways workers use digital media and technologies for work-related and personal purposes in the workplace. Do you have a policy for personal internet use at your own business? We are seeing a profoundly new way of engaging in certain personal activities in the workplace. Internet use at work refers to either connecting to the Internet or using e-mail. Companies that have a reasonable approach and understand that people need to take a mental break and let them use technology for personal use — those companies experience less alienation in general. Results indicate that being younger, male, and a racial minority positively predict cyberslacking variety and frequency, as do routinized Internet use at work and higher perceived Internet utility. Specifically, this study aims to: (i) determine the extent of personal Internet use using mobile Internet devices at the Malaysian workplace; and (ii) investigate the individual and situational factors that lead to this behaviour. Pros. Without a doubt, the Internet has revolutionized the way people play and work. One of the most controversial issues is personal use of technology at work, which is often referred to as cyberloafing, a voluntary act of employees using technology for non-work-related purposes during working hours . internet usage policy would typically cover all employees who have internet access While not every person has access to the Internet at work, the majority do. … It can also be multi-screening when you’re doing some kind of work, but you’re passively watching some kind of show or listening to a podcast as well. For instance, paying a bill online during a lunch break or sending a note to a friend on Facebook can provide flexibility in the workplace. The use of the internet at work offers many advantages and resources which can be beneficial to a company's operations. There should be a very realistic picture as an employer as to why, how and to what extent people use these technologies as work. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. ScienceDirect ® is a registered trademark of Elsevier B.V. They can take a day off and do their personal projects at work and use the company’s resources. We posit that higher workplace status is associated with significant incentives and greater opportunities for personal Internet use. Results are discussed as to how the present study expands on previous research, and directions for future research are indicated. As more and more employees regularly check their work e-mail and complete assignments in non-working hours, the old distinction between work and personal time is blurring. The trouble here is that, in some workplaces, employees are required to use social media to promote their company or products to do something for the employer. With more and more digital technologies and algorithms being introduced in the workplace, we are seeing that a lot of work that used to require human input is or has already disappeared. How shared leadership is evolving through remote working, COVID-19: How to mitigate workplace liability and financial loss, How shared leadership can future proof your company. Even the most loyal, hard-working employee can be tempted to occasionally do a little online shopping, play games, watch videos, check local news or weather reports, or communicate with family and friends using social media; an article in US News & World report confirms this. We are seeing a profoundly new way of engaging in certain personal activities in the workplace. If you look at the literature in labour studies, the questions of agency, power, autonomy, and flexibility have been some of the key issues in the labour movement in North America and many workplaces around the world. Employees are increasingly looking for workplaces where they can exercise some autonomy and flexibility. ► There is significant variance in predictors of individual behaviors. Now we are seeing a task-oriented approach where you do some work intensively and then there are moments of inactivity — that is the new normal. goonlinepapers@gmail.com. Train your managers and supervisors about how to establish and maintain the expectations and policies of your workplace. We all know about Google and their idea of letting their employees take one day off to do their personal projects. If you take draconian measures and restrict all personal internet usage, employees might use proxy sites or other tricks which introduce malware and are difficult to manage or detect. Alex: It’s really impossible to treat all personal internet use in the workplace as one phenomenon. The Internet is essential to the operation of most businesses today, and allowing your employees to access the World Wide Web is a necessity. It can also be multi-screening when you’re doing some kind of work, but you’re passively watching some kind of show or listening to a podcast as well. What are the real implications of personal internet use at work? Tell us what you think in the comment section below. Companies that have a reasonable approach and understand that people need to take a mental break and let them use technology for personal use — those companies experience less alienation in general. Some companies actually allow their employees 30 to 60 minutes of personal time on the company’s Internet daily. Use progressive discipline with employees who repeatedly violate your expectations and trust. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. It could be a matter of personal resistance — some workers are dissatisfied with some kind of condition in the workplace and in order to retaliate, to take some time back, they engage in personal activities at work. But … If you ban social media and personal e-mail, you can actually hurt your company as an employer. Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. or its licensors or contributors. Personal Use You can access the Internet for occasional personal use at the discretion of your manager. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2011.03.002. Alex: We all know about Google and their idea of letting their employees take one day off to do their personal projects. In our age, there is more and more task-oriented work so whenever you have different tasks, you have periods of time when you are inactive and there is no work. The counter-argument can be: “that podcast actually helps me do my work.” This is where it gets complicated when it comes to policy setting and how employers should treat those types of behaviours at work because there are a lot of blurred lines, It’s really impossible to treat all personal internet use in the workplace as one phenomenon. That in itself is a longstanding debate that hasn’t been resolved yet. There is a shared idea that “I’m here to do my work.”. ► Being young, a racial minority & male positively predicts cyberslacking. Some research shows when you introduce digital technologies in the workplace and when you allow employees to use them for personal reasons — productivity suffers. Estimates for the above race groups (white, black or African American, and Asian) do not sum to totals because data are not presented for all races. By monitoring personal internet usage, employers can ensure that employees are disseminating confidential information about the company to the public. How to disguise your personal web-surfing at work. During the work day, employees routinely check social networking sites, read current news articles, engage in online banking and shopping, watch YouTube videos, and book weekend travel. In your research, have you seen what kind of things people are reading or watching online at work? There are many different reasons why someone would use a smartphone or internet-enabled device while at work. Most of us would be hard pressed to deny our use of the Internet at work for non-work related purposes. Use encryption and passwords to protect both work and personal data. Most workers understand that their major task is to do their work. This has been a double-edged sword for businesses. Job-related internet use may include research, training tasks, and anything that would help someone do their job. Overall, maybe 10 or 15 percent of work time is dedicated to personal internet use at work. When you’re multitasking, how can one say that you are not being productive? How do you measure productivity in digitalized work spaces? He analyzes how the digitization of the workplace affects workers’ experiences and interactions, their private and social lives, and their work-life balance. I would say, because of those extended times of inactivity, we can predict this in the workplace: we will see more personal internet use. Skip to content. In fact, employees arguably spend about 2 hours per 8 hour work … Within professions that use computers, … One of the greatest is the temptation to use the Internet for personal reasons during the course of a workday. Other research shows if you ban Facebook, social media, other kinds of personal activities, then you alienate your workforce and that leads to diminishing productivity. An effective internet and email policy that helps employees understand what is expected of them regarding how they use their devices for work is a must for employers and employees. The counter-argument can be: “that podcast actually helps me do my work.” This is where it gets complicated when it comes to policy setting and how employers should treat those types of behaviours at work because there are a lot of blurred lines. In addition, persons whose ethnicity is Hispanic or Latino may be of any race and, therefore, are classified by ethnicity as well as by race. It can be beneficial for employers to let employees take a mental break because they can check their personal e-mails and social media, but then their employees don’t go anywhere else, they don’t have to go and find a creative way to circumvent certain restrictions. By continuing you agree to the use of cookies. The employee may need to use such websites for work-related purposes. Taking personal time while at work is a manifestation of a certain kind of agency and autonomy for workers. Define Consequences. Cyberslacking, typically defined as the use of Internet and mobile technology during work hours for personal purposes, is a growing concern for organizations due to the potential in lost revenue; however, the majority of academic research in this area has focused on a limited number of cyberslacking behaviors and/or employed small, non-representative samples. Register; Sign In; Go Online Papers. The parameters for computer use at work (and even at home) are often confusing. It’s only a minority of workers who actively sabotage their work by engaging in personal activities in the workplace. Alex: We know that e-mail is by far the most popular thing workers use for personal digital technology at work and we also see that there is now a spike in social media use. This, in turn, can boost employee morale. Cyberslacking (also referred to as cyberloafing, non-work-related computing, cyber deviance, personal use at work, Internet abuse, workplace Internet leisure browsing, and junk computing) is the use of Internet and mobile technology during work hours for personal purposes (Bock and Ho, 2009, Johnson and Indvik, 2004, Lim, 2002, Mastrangelo et al., 2006). Surfing the internet at work might turn out to be a perk that is good for productivity. Several recent studies have shown that browsing the internet actually increases employee performance. Other research shows if you ban Facebook, social media, other kinds of … This employee internet usage policy applies to all our employees, contractors, volunteers and partners who access our network and computers. Being able to access the Internet and social media sites can be a nice benefit to workers. The trends are unsettling for HR executives nationwide: 30 to 40 percent of employee Internet activity is non-work-related, according to IDC Research. Personal Internet use at work: Understanding cyberslacking. Develop and maintain a culture of trust. However, this opens up the possibility that workers will use the Internet for personal reasons during working hours, resulting in lost productivity. Completely cutting off the Internet for personal use may not be the best approach. We communicate, network, watch our TV shows, do our grocery … If you’re managing remote staff, they might be using the same personal computer for work and personal use. For other employees, it is just a matter of procrastination. This situation may alienate the workforce and may create potential conflict. If you ban all social media and personal e-mail use, people will still use them but they will be creative and find ways of doing it. By circumventing certain prohibitions imposed by the employer, it will actually take the employee more time but they will still be doing it. It could just be a matter of figuring out if your kids are alright. Is personal Internet use at work primarily the domain of lower-status employees, or do individuals higher up the organizational hierarchy engage in this activity at equal or even greater levels? The problems arise with allowed access to personal email accounts, social networking sites, auction sites, etc. There is only a minority of workers who are using these technologies for more than 40 percent of their work time. Train them to recognize when an employee might be abusing internet time or sites at work. 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