The Daily Filter

‘No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;’

John Donne may have had a deep understanding of mankind when he penned that famous prose but if he were alive today I imagine that he would have written (or texted)–

No Man is an Island entire of itself – but he may live on an island by himself as long as he has internet access to Facebook and Twitter;…

The rapid growth of social networking made possible by the Internet is staggering.  CNet recently reported that Twitter reached a milestone of 5 billion tweets and that eight billion minutes are spent on Facebook daily.  One could argue about the merits of social networking on the Internet but there is no denying the fact that these sites receive a lot of attention – possibly too much.

This all leads to my question…How should a business address Internet access to social networking sites or any non-business related site?  After all, employee time spent using these sites while ‘on the clock’ is time NOT spent creating revenue for the business.  If we allow employees to take coffee breaks, smoke breaks and lunch breaks to recharge their minds and bodies, is it reasonable to allow Internet breaks for employees to get their fix of Twitter and Facebook?

A few employees, like those in the HR department, may have a valid argument in that they need access to the social networking sites to assist with recruiting and background checks, but should that entitle everyone to socialize freely on the net?  Other departments may also come up with creative arguments to gain access to the social network, which can lead to some “gray” areas.  

To avoid misunderstandings, every organization should have a written Internet access policy that clearly explains how employees may use the Internet while at work.  This policy outlines access by department or job function.  Employees should read and sign the policy which then becomes a part of their permanent employee record.  To enforce the Internet access policy, organizations should implement a monitoring/filtering solution that allows them to block, or limit access to, non-work related sites.  Instituting a company-wide Internet access policy offers administrators the ability to preserve company resources while also providing a certain level of individual freedom.

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