It s a fascinating and evolving aspect of the law, and we will be seeing more of these types of cases in the near future. Jacobs recommends that employers develop a policy to define and limit Internet usage by employees. While Internet access has become an essential part of many professionals jobs, the vast amount of information available on the World Wide Web can make it a major distraction at work. More and more employers are mulling over their options and examining ways to protect themselves from employees who take unnecessary joy rides on the information superhighway. Examples like these make you realize how important an Internet usage policy can be.
Cox warns employers to be careful when formulating a usage policy.
You don t want to be too controlling or employees will start thinking of you as the gestapo. Jeff Cottle, vice president of employee relations for SCT Corp., a software company in Malvern, Pa., agrees with Cox. He says that when you treat employees like adults, then they will act like adults. With that in mind, SCT s Internet policy gives employees a lot of freedom. As an employer, if you expect employees to work occasionally during nontraditional work hours such as evenings and weekends, then you should be prepared to allow employees to conduct personal business during traditional work hours.