Managing Internet Use at Work
Clark Haley, CEO
Successfully running a small business requires that you delegate responsibility and allow staff members to work independently. You have to trust that your employees will do the right thing. This is how we run our company and you probably do much the same. In order to give staff members the feelings of autonomy and ownership, they need to know the rules. These go beyond what time to show up, vacation time and health benefits.
For most of us, the company policies that we put in place 20+ years ago couldn’t possibly take into account the vast changes in technology. The internet and the changes that have been occurring over the last couple of years (months/days??) have changed the game and you need a written company policy that covers computer and Internet use.
Why bother?
I’ll give you three strong reasons why this needs to be addressed openly within your organization:
- The Time Waster – Studies show that the average employee actually works approximately 5.25 hours out of an average 8 hour day. Add in the temptation of the internet and that average can fall dramatically. There’s the solitaire game, finding that perfect vacation spot, and personal email to tend to. And how could we forget Craig’s List! The internet is a phenomenally powerful tool. It can save time and help you gain knowledge that will win more business for the company, but it is a tempting time waster that has to be controlled. Lost productivity can never be regained.
- The Virus Carrier – Employees that are spending time on inappropriate sites are more likely to pick up a virus or worm that may work its way onto their computer and then on to the server and finally to other workstations on the network. Virus software will help, but it is estimated that there are over 20,000 new viruses released on the internet every day and it is simply impossible for virus protection software to keep ahead of the hackers. These viruses are most often associated with sites that aren’t business related. The cost of cleaning a network and all the attached computers of a virus can be staggering.
- The Unauthorized Blogger – There is nothing on the internet that is private. If an employee posts a blog, leaves a comment on a friend’s FaceBook page, or uses Twitter to tell someone what their plans are for the weekend, it can (and will) be read by people they never thought would read it. I once spent an hour searching on the internet for posts by my son using his name and various pen names that I was aware of. I was amazed (and embarrassed) by what I found – and I’m not a professional. Just think what dirt a trained specialist could find!! If you wouldn’t say it among professional peers or in front of your mother, you probably shouldn’t say it on the internet either!
Put the policy in writing
Every company that uses computers — from the smallest to the largest — should have a written policy on computer and Internet use. You should cover your policy during the new employee on boarding process. For existing employees, call a special company meeting to go over the new policies and ask them to sign an addendum to their employment agreement that covers the new policies. This way, they know that you mean business and that the use of computers and the Internet in the office are intended to further the company’s goals. They also need to be reminded of the consequences of inappropriate postings on internet sites.
Discrete Activity Monitoring
If you suspect that someone is abusing your computer system, what do you do? First, talk to them and send e-mail reminders. Tell employees that they are there to work, not to shop or to tend to their personal business. But that is not always enough. Of course you want to trust your employees — but you don’t want them to take advantage of you, either. As a small-business owner, you don’t have the time to look over everyone’s shoulder or check temporary Internet files to recreate their surfing activities. In extreme cases, you have the option of using “snooping” applications to monitor computer usage. These programs can take periodic snapshots of sites visited and can also log keystrokes. The results of this snooping can then be emailed to you for review.
This assumes that you want to snoop on your employees. We’re all pretty busy without spending our spare time probing someone’s foibles. If you have good grounds to suspect an employee, perhaps a heart-to-heart talk would be just as effective. If that employee is marginal, termination might be preferable.
Monitor Key Words on the Internet
There are some excellent tools available – for free – that will help you monitor the internet for references to your company, products, and key employees. For example, you might want to create an alert that looks for any posting that includes your company name or the name of your CEO/President. Another use might be to watch for postings that include a product name or vendor name.
Google has a free tool called “Google Alerts” that searches the entire internet and reports back on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis with any occurrences of your key words.
LinkedIn has a service called “Company Buzz” that monitors Twitter for key words. I have a friend that uses this service and recently uncovered a twitter posting where an employee said that he was pretending to work while searching for a new job – my friend gave him an opportunity to job hunt full time!
The Final Word
The internet has brought a host of changes to the way we do business. Some good – some horrible. As a prudent businessperson, you need to take the time to create a policy for your employees and make sure they understand what that policy is and how it affects them during the work day and after they go home. Failure to provide guidance is opening the door for lost revenue, network disasters, and embarrassing posts on personal and business sites.
Let me know how your company manages internet useage. If you would like a copy of a sample company policy for internet useage, drop me a line and I’ll forward it to you.
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