{"id":4687,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:40","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/employee-internet-usage.html"},"modified":"2024-06-06T04:46:17","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T09:46:17","slug":"employee-internet-usage","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/employee-internet-usage.html","title":{"rendered":"Employee Internet Usage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Employee Internet Usage<\/h1>\n\n
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\n By Susan Buckner, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Aviana Cooper, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

Businesses have come to depend on the internet. Without internet access, companies cannot compete in a connected economy. Business owners must let their employees access the internet during work hours.<\/p>\n

Internet use is vital, but employers must control internet activity in and out of their company computers. Your business could be\u00a0liable for employee misuse<\/a>. Cybercriminals use unmonitored activity to plant malware in unprotected computers. Small-business owners must have a robust internet access policy to protect their assets and employees.<\/p>\n

The Purpose of the Policy<\/h2>\n

Depending on the nature of your business, your employees may spend many hours at their computers or almost none. Most businesses provide employee email accounts so staff can communicate efficiently. It may not have occurred to you to monitor employee internet use as long as work gets done. The facts might surprise you.<\/p>\n

According to one study, up to 40% of workplace internet usage\u00a0involved non-work-related websites<\/a>, even before the remote work era. Your employees’ web surfing may include social media, shopping, videos, or personal emails. But the pitfalls of unmonitored internet access don’t lie only in the time wasted. While workplace problems involving pornography aren’t new, the Zoom boom of the pandemic\u00a0led to some high-profile embarrassments<\/a>\u00a0when personal and professional lines became blurred.<\/p>\n

Still, many small employers are uncomfortable at the thought of\u00a0employee monitoring<\/a>. It seems intrusive and unethical, as if they don’t trust their workers. But an internet usage policy has nothing to do with trust. Its purpose is to protect company resources and\u00a0employer liability<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Some critical reasons for an internet use policy include:<\/p>\n