Young workers push for wider Web access

When you go to work for an organization do not be surprised if your employer blocks access to Facebook, Gmail and other popular Internet sites.  

Although blocking access to websites like these may get desired results like preventing employees from using work time to do other things that are not work related online, it can also be a barrier to getting work done.

Some people may see technology as an advantage while others might see it as an annoyance.  

Not being able to access all Internet sites is a common complaint from young people who enter the workforce.  They have expectations that their employer will have the same opinion as they do about technology; however, that is not always the case.  

Sometimes, employees will use their Internet- enabled phones to get to blocked sites, either for work or fun.  

“Could companies take a different approach, without compromising security or workplace efficiency, that allows at least some of the online access that younger employees particularly crave?”

“It’s no different than spending too much time around the water cooler or making too many personal phone calls. Do you take those away? No,” says Gary Rudman, president of GTR Consulting, a market research firm that tracks the habits of young people.

“These two worlds will continue to collide until there’s a mutual understanding that performance, not Internet usage, is what really matters,” says Rudman.   

Barry Wellman of the University of Toronto calls the idea of young people unable to detach themselves from technology “media multiplexity”.  Wellman has studied university students and they have told him that they consider their gadgets apart of their bodies.  

Younger workers are also less likely to work the typical 9-to-5 schedule and willing to put in extra hours in return for flexibility, like online time.  

So, Wellman and others argue, why not embrace that working style when possible, rather than fight it?

Employees worry that by allowing employees to use the Internet that time will be wasted, confidentiality will be breached, and confidentiality liability for what their employees do online.   These concerns are of great importance for highly regulated fields such as finance and health care, says Nancy Flynn, a corporate consultant who heads the Ohio-based ePolicy Institute.  

Based on a survey Flynn did with the American Management Association, she believes nearly half of U.S. employees have a policy banning visits to personal social networking or video sharing sites during work hours.  Many also ban personal text messaging during working days.

Regulating what employees do on the Internet is becoming increasingly difficult with BlackBerrys, iPhones, and other devices with Internet access and messaging.   

One approach organizations can take is to allow access to certain websites but limit what employees can do there. For example, Palo Alto Networks, a computer security company, recently helped a pharmaceutical company and a furniture maker open up social networking for some employees, but limited such options as file-sharing, largely so that sensitive information isn’t transferred, even accidentally.

“Wide-open Internet access is the risky approach,” says Chris King, Palo Alto Networks’ director of product marketing. However, “fully closed is increasingly untenable for cultural reasons and business reasons.”

Flynn, at the ePolicy Institute, says it is important for employers to have policies regarding online usage and then explain it.

Flynn believes not enough employers have conducted formal training on such matters as online liability and confidentiality.

A few tips for employees regarding Internet and cell phone use:

— Remember that anything you do on a company-issued computer or cell phone — in or out of the office — could be tracked by a boss, the courts or a regulator. Many employers monitor website use, keystrokes, instant messages and e-mail. Some even archive text messages on work cell phones.

— Avoid mentioning your company, boss or co-workers in online postings unless you have permission to do so.

— Avoid using any device to take or transmit any company-related photos, videos or other recordings without permission from management. This includes any images of company buildings or logos and embarrassing or unprofessional photos of co- workers or clients.

— Know your company’s policy on social networking, video websites, e-mail and other tech-related activities.

— Regularly delete personal e-mail from your work account.

— Remember when searching for a job that many employers check social networking sites, blogs and other online activity. 

Read more here 

Posted by: suhujitha on 2009-07-13 17:45:32

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