An Internet Policy for Your Employees

3. Web Surfing

3.1 Make it clear in your policy that the web should be mainly or solely used for business purposes.

• Some companies allow limited personal use, as long as it does not affect employees' work. This may improve employees' Internet skills and overall efficiency. But it may be difficult to define 'limited use', and this could make your Internet policy harder to enforce.
• Some companies restrict personal use to set times (eg during lunch breaks).
• Some companies have a more flexible attitude to Internet use outside normal working hours. But the same cost, security and legal issues apply.

3.2 Restrict the sites that employees visit.

• Social networking sites are a common time-waster. Some companies ban their use altogether.Other sites can also be offensive and legally problematic (for example, pornographic sites or sites that promote racism).
• Sites that take up a lot of bandwidth can slow down Internet access for other employees. For example, sites that feature videos or music.
• Remove the links to popular websites often available as a default feature on browser software. Such sites can be major timewasters. For example, online shopping, computer games, sports results and gambling.
• Sites that require you to register can cause problems. They may leave cookies on your computer, which can collect information about you, including your contact details, without your knowledge. This may leave you open to receiving junk email (spam), or other unsolicited marketing materials.