U.S. Firms to Workers: We Won’t Block Your Internet

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Historically, there’s always been an uneasy arrangement between employers and employees on the topic of workplace Internet access.

Company decision-makers don’t necessarily want to stifle employee access to online data, especially in an information age in which information is as much a commodity as widgets or washing machines. And employees know their paycheck depends on them being productive, and spending an hour or two on Facebook won’t cut it, especially if management is aware of your workplace “distraction.”

Increasingly though, companies are edging away from serious opposition to employee Internet access, even to social networks and online shopping portals.

That’s the consensus of a study out from OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based employee staffing service.

According to OfficeTeam, 53% of employers do not block worker access to the Internet, including allowing access to “nonproductive” (at least from a corporate point of view) sites such as Facebook or eBay. Furthermore, companies that erect a firewall between staffers and Internet access say staffers and managers get around Internet access restrictions by using their mobile devices.

“Even if companies don't block access to certain sites, they may be monitoring employee activity for excessive use," says Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. "Professionals should be mindful of how they are spending their time while at the office. Surfing the Web might provide a nice break from work, but it should never get in the way of it.”

We reached out to Hosking and asked how companies and employees can find common ground on workplace Internet access: