Comments on: Monitoring Internet Usage in the Workplace

By: Richard Danes

Richard Danes — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 18:37:55 +0000

Even for a small company with 3 to 5 employees internet monitoring is mandatory. For a larger company it is more than mandatory because the damage that can be done, if you don’t monitor your internet activity is too high. Every company should use such a solution – better be safe than sorry.

By: Rita

Rita — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:38:03 +0000

It’s all about measure – when you turn into Internet Police, this definitely leads to a huge drop in productivity – everybody becomes suspicious and spends more time trying to create the impression that he or she is working rather than actually doing something useful. Of course, you can’t let your staff spend all their time on leisure sites, so you should be doing some monitoring for sure – just don’t turn into a Internet dictator.

By: @Furius_Geek

@Furius_Geek — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 07:21:51 +0000

@GeoMechs what are you talking about? Whether or not people uses the Internet responsibly is out of the question. All employees (responsible users or not) should be monitored. This way, no one is exempted from the rule. Fairness to the system will also be applied.

Having an Internet monitoring system in place (especially in a big or multinational corporate environment) is an integral part of the business. For example, if no Internet monitoring system is implemented to Microsoft or Walmart employees, the organization as a whole will loose focus.

By: GeoMechs

GeoMechs — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:58:37 +0000

The problem here is not with Internet usage per se. It’s how people or users use the Internet. Using the Internet requires responsibility. I’m not saying that we should fully open-up Internet usage. We should cap, control, or limit it.

For instance, allow only employees to browse social media and other “leisure” websites in their free times or at lunch or during work breaks. Also, if I may add, a little time on Facebook would NOT hurt productivity. In fact,some HR experts and observers say that social media platforms can relieve work-related stress.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 00:23:22 +0000

In my opinion, it’s better to correct the behavior than to create obstacles for the employees…especially if you’re dealing with decently technical people, if someone really wants to get onto a website, they will find a way – even if it’s with their phone. Monitoring is always a good thing, that way at least the behavior can be addressed. Blocking is just pointless.