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Employers should not monitor their employees' Internet use.

Too many employers seem to use "excessive Internet use" as an excuse for firing employees who work hard and get their jobs done. Employers get overzealous in monitoring work computer usage. If an employee is done with her work, does it really hurt anything if she shoots a quick email to a friend? An employee who is using the Internet to avoid doing his job is going to have reduced productivity. If an employee has reduced productivity, then he should be fired for that, not spending to much time surfing.

The few urgent matters that may require even the most diligent of employees to open up a web browser are often private and should not be viewed by employers in any case. Most of us have logged on occasionally during work hours to message doctors or check the balance on bank accounts. When your boss is monitoring your every move through the network, do you really want him to see that your water bill is overdue? Would that not cause him to view you as less responsible? I've worked for companies where even those few minutes on "non work-related sites" would result in a firing.

Few employers stop to think about how beneficial employee Internet usage at work can be for companies as well. If employees had to pay bills the old fashioned way, legging them around town, they'd probably miss a work hour or two, even if they went during the thirty minute lunch break. Isn't it better that they can shoot the cable company a quick e-check rather than having to leave work and disrupt the office environment?

Sure, the occasional employee will abuse his Internet privileges. But this is going to get him in to trouble at work in other ways. Someone will catch Bill watching that porn movie and report him for sexual harassment. Or Susie won't be able to get her work done because she's too busy chatting with Jill online. Since these actions have outside consequences, there will be a reason to question the employee's ability to do the work. Employees should be fired based on lack of merit, not for what they look at online.

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