Getting Fired for Disboard Surfing at Work?

[MIGrandma]

I think any employee should have it okayed by their boss if they want to surf the internet on company time.

When I worked as a church secretary many years ago, I had quite a bit of down time often. After doing all the cleaning and re-organizing I possibly could I did talk to the pastor (my boss) about writing personal letters at my desk. This was way before the church had computers in the office. He told me it was fine if I wanted to do that, or read a book, etc. when I didn't have any office work to do.

They wanted me there 4 mornings a week, even to just answer the phone. I was glad I talked to him about it, instead of just assuming it would be okay.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I have a hard time thinking this was the ONLY reason the person was let go. Looking up someone's on-line behaviors is time consuming and an expensive waste of IT time. There had to be something that triggered the search in the first place. No matter what it's still rotten, I hate to hear when someone has been fired, unless the person is a total wack-a-doo/criminal and since surfing the Dis doesn't fall into that category I'm sad.

Actually it's not all that time consuming to track employee internet usage. There are many programs out there that do it automatically.

While this is true, I have never heard of an employee fired for this. I have seen it used as an excuse many times, but never as the actual reason that the company wanted to fire someone.
Now, I am sure that it has happened, but no one that I know would even consider firing a valued employee over a minor company policy violation that is not impacting that person's performance. In fact, when this policy is used in my company, I always make sure that it is only one item on a list because I don't want to see our company sued for the inequitable application of a company policy.

I agree.

In my company I know of someone who spends all day on Facebook and other sites chatting with her family and friends and planning her wedding next year. She gets the minimal amount of work done, but if the company ever had to cut back because of budget reasons she'd likely be one of the first people to go.

OTOH, we have several other key employees who work their butts off and who are critical to the company's success. I'm sure in their down time they may spend some time on Facebook or other sites, but because of their exemplary work and output, as well as their commitment to the company and their own work, it's unlikely that internet usage would be something that the managers or owner would ever look at. Their performance speaks for itself.

It just goes to show you that while you may think you're valuable to a company and they'd never fire you because you're so good, your actual value isn't something that's judged by you. It helps to remember that, in this day and age, no one is irreplaceable. You can be replaced. And depending on the unemployment situation in your vicinity, you can probably be replaced before the end of the week.

When I see people posting all the live-long day on the internet and they say they're posting from work, I have to admit that I wonder just how valuable they are as employee. It's generally considered that people who are actually producing don't have time for idle chat 5-6 hours a day, every day of the week.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

I'm a teacher and the school district I used to work for would block disneyworld.com every May. I guess it was all those teachers (including me one year) planning summer vacations!

 

[rie'smom]

So now we all know their personal business. Nice.

If the OP had said Jane Doe was fired because she was on the DIS then I could understand the comment but the person fired is anonymous to us.

 

[phorsenuf]

So now we all know their personal business. Nice.

If the OP had said Jane Doe was fired because she was on the DIS then I could understand the comment but the person fired is anonymous to us.

Maybe not.

 

[brockash]

It depends on what your job is. I have a desk job where I am using internet applications all day long. I usually have a few browsers open at a time and one is usually the DIS!

Mine too. I think it completely depends on your job. In some jobs, how busy the place is can be very dependent on the "outside" world, so they may end up having a lot of free time.

ETA: I totally agree, that I've never experienced someone being fired for internet use...I've seen it used as an excuse to fire someone (2 ppl. in particular that the office was trying to basically fire for months, and eventually was able to from the "internet use.") If you're a good/valued employee, companies don't want to fire you, and unless they have a real issue with internet use, no one's going to fire you for it- they may use it as an excuse, but trust me, that's not the real reason you were fired, that was just their easy way out of dealing with you.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Someone I know very well was reprimanded for using the internet for a whopping 147 hours at work one week... due to having multiple tabs open (but minimized, mostly) during the work day. That incident was brought up in every review for the next four years until "the person" was finally laid off...

 

[wvjules]

Someone I know very well was reprimanded for using the internet for a whopping 147 hours at work one week... due to having multiple tabs open (but minimized, mostly) during the work day. That incident was brought up in every review for the next four years until "the person" was finally laid off...

How is that even possible?

 

[usnuzuloose]

When I was working we could not even think about connecting to the internet. People would watch and monitor. We did not even have time for it any way. Just to busy to even breath. But I was on another website and someone was complaining that the employees were no longer allowed to surf the net while working. I would enjoy making a paycheck rather than complain I cant surf the net at work.

 

[bgirldeb]

If the OP had said Jane Doe was fired because she was on the DIS then I could understand the comment but the person fired is anonymous to us.

Maybe not.

phorsenuf, Is there something you would like to share with the rest of us?

 

[kaytieeldr]

How is that even possible?

Well, right now - AT HOME - I have three tabs open (the DIS, Amazon, and Toys R Us). So if somebody were monitoring the time I'm spending online, at least the way that company did it, each tab counts as an individual timed session. You and I understand that there are only 175 hours in a calendar week, and my work week at the time was only 37.5 hours, so with lunch I was only onsite 40 hours total.

I'm NOT claiming I was right to be online, by any means.

 

[luvmy3]

I have a hard time thinking this was the ONLY reason the person was let go. Looking up someone's on-line behaviors is time consuming and an expensive waste of IT time. There had to be something that triggered the search in the first place. No matter what it's still rotten, I hate to hear when someone has been fired, unless the person is a total wack-a-doo/criminal and since surfing the Dis doesn't fall into that category I'm sad.

Actually its very easy. Dh is able to check the internet usage at home, to see if anyone is accessing our router.
I don't feel so bad for the person, if they knew that using the Internet for personal use at work was not allowed, then they should have expected that they would be punished. I also think companies do this to serve as a warning so that all employees know that they do take this seriously.

Good for you.

I understand being frustrated when you feel that coworkers aren't pulling their weight but to be gleeful that someone is getting fired is just plain gross.

I don't think the OP is actually happy that this person was fired, I think she's just surprised at how time this person spent on the internet at wrok for something that wasn't work related.

 

[wvjules]

Well, right now - AT HOME - I have three tabs open (the DIS, Amazon, and Toys R Us). So if somebody were monitoring the time I'm spending online, at least the way that company did it, each tab counts as an individual timed session. You and I understand that there are only 175 hours in a calendar week, and my work week at the time was only 37.5 hours, so with lunch I was only onsite 40 hours total.

I'm NOT claiming I was right to be online, by any means.

Ahhh so each tab had its own 'timer'. Gotcha!

 

[Agri]

If the OP had said Jane Doe was fired because she was on the DIS then I could understand the comment but the person fired is anonymous to us.

All I'm saying is I wouldn't appreciate it if I'd been fired for browsing a forum and then come home to view that someone had posted the reason I was fired to said forum. Yeah, its stupid, but broadcasting it to their peers (even without names involved)? Not so great. If that person sees this, they'll know who they are.

Maybe not.

It's not me, if that is what you are implying. As I've posted in other threads, I don't work, I take care of my mom after she had brain surgery to remove a tumor last December.

 

[LovableGluttons]

Actually its very easy. Dh is able to check the internet usage at home, to see if anyone is accessing our router.
I don't feel so bad for the person, if they knew that using the Internet for personal use at work was not allowed, then they should have expected that they would be punished. I also think companies do this to serve as a warning so that all employees know that they do take this seriously.



I don't think the OP is actually happy that this person was fired, I think she's just surprised at how time this person spent on the internet at wrok for something that wasn't work related.

Exactly! I had no idea that each window open had a timer. When you use the company's internet, there is a very prominent notice about internet usage being monitored and for business use only.

The 300 hours thing blew me away.

I think everyone was made privy to the info as a warning.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

For several years before I retired from the Government I was the "Magic Kingdom Club Chapter Director for the Federal Judiciary" and I requested through channels and received permission to be allowed to look at Disney and Disney-related web sites (such as the Dis). The approval was by the Deputy Director of the Administrative Offices of the US Courts, whose second level supervisor was the Chief Justice. Of course I had been called to his office a couple of times to give him advice about taking his grandchildren to WDW. And so the systems people did something magical in the network to allow me this authority.

 

[Pakey]

I have a hard time thinking this was the ONLY reason the person was let go. Looking up someone's on-line behaviors is time consuming and an expensive waste of IT time. There had to be something that triggered the search in the first place. No matter what it's still rotten, I hate to hear when someone has been fired, unless the person is a total wack-a-doo/criminal and since surfing the Dis doesn't fall into that category I'm sad.

I get an automatic report every morning that tells me every users use for the past 24 hours. It clearly states in our handbook that we do this and that we will terminate for personal use of computers.

We have terminated 2 hourly based employees in the past 10 years for excessive time spent on personal computers.

 

[Arielle22]

I get an automatic report every morning that tells me every users use for the past 24 hours. It clearly states in our handbook that we do this and that we will terminate for personal use of computers.

We have terminated 2 hourly based employees in the past 10 years for excessive time spent on personal computers.

My last company had problems with needed programs running slow due to excessive personal usage (both internet radio and browsing). So a memo was issued that it was not allowed and if found using it for personal reasons you would be terminated. I was HR. Every day IT would produce a report on what sites were visited by what computer. We termed a couple of top offenders and blocked certain websites until the needed programs could run without interference.

At my current job I am allowed to use the internet for personal reasons.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

For several years before I retired from the Government I was the "Magic Kingdom Club Chapter Director for the Federal Judiciary"

What is that? I googled it, but just came up with a post from you on another board.

 

[Planogirl]

We don't have Internet access at work except for select websites and I don't understand why more companies don't just block it if they don't want people to access it.