The Perils of Personal Internet Use At Work

Personal Internet use at work has gotten an increasing number of employees in trouble with their employer.

Some people have even gotten fired in extreme cases for their personal Internet use at work.

If your company has a policy on Internet use at work, you should pay close attention to it especially if you work for a company that has specified limits on your usage. If you don't know if your company has an Internet policy, ask your manager.

If there is one thing you need to be aware of when it comes to Internet usage it's that your company can tell what websites you have visited if they want to and you really can't do much to hide your tracks.

Clearing your Internet History on your browser and clearing files you have downloaded don't help to erase the tracks you have left on the Internet.

Similarly don't think that deleting emails in your In Box or Sent Box prevents your employer from reading the content of your emails.

Every email sent and received from your company server remains on your company server regardless of whether you have deleted the emails from your work computer or not.

You have no control over your work email and Internet history and your employer's ability to view it.

My friend is an IT support manager and he has told me stories about what websites some of his colleagues have visited and files that they have downloaded because he has central access to the Internet history of everyone in the company.

Typically, personal Internet use at work gets people into trouble when they do noticeable things such as:

1. Visiting illegal websites or porn-related websites that trigger some sort of device that the company uses to monitor staff Internet usage.

2. Downloading large files for personal reasons - such as music or movies - that slow down company resources and your IT staff start looking to see who or what is causing the problem.

3. Forwarding dirty joke emails that end up on the desk of someone who doesn't find the joke funny and complains about it. Even if your company does not have a policy that limits personal Internet use at work and you are not worried about getting into trouble, use common sense when using the Internet for personal use.

Just remember that any email you send and receive and any website you visit from your work computer leaves a trail that your company can follow if they choose to and there is nothing you can do to hide it.

Personal Internet use at work has gotten people fired in extreme cases so make sure you understand your company's policy on Internet usage.