A new study on "cyberslacking" was posted in the June issue of CyberPsycology and Behavior Journal (who knew there was such a thing) says that not all personal internet use at work is detrimental and that companies should not have a black and white policy against it.
I couldn't agree more. In today's world, the lines between work and personal are just too blurred. Take me for example. Currently, I am commuting almost an hour and a half each way to work. That means I don't get home until seven and last night 8:30pm. So, in order to make up for that, I need to get a few things done at the office. If not, the alternative is that I leave early. And, how many people don't go home and get online to do personal things and end up doing something work related. Every night I end up checking website stats, proofing some copy on the new site, reading an article about a competitor or the industry.
Putting in place a policy that states no personal internet use is actually detrimental to the company itself. Most of us are salaried employees, meaning we get paid no matter how many hours we work. So, do you think most slack off and put in less hours? Not a chance. Most of us put in 50 or more hours in the office and more at home. So what that I check the bank account for my wife or read an article about Tiger Woods. That 10 minutes is a sanity break to allow my mind to relax a bit before I dig into the next big project.
