Work Ethics: Is Cyber slacking acceptable?

By: Togther Abroad 16-03-2015

Categories:* Ethics ,

One of the greatest challenges company’s face today is the continuous personal use of internet and mobile technology by employees during working hours. This constant distraction is well known as “Cyber slacking”. Many employees use a great amount of their work time reading through personal emails, social media and answering personal phone calls. Cyber slacking has become a great concern for many companies today.

Dutch employers are quite strict on the matter and expect no less of their employees. The workplace is considered a respected environment, therefore cyber slacking is unacceptable. All Dutch as well as international employees are assumed to be self-disciplined and should be well aware of the accepted amount of time by the company.

Regularly, employees are given the liberty to control the quantity of time they use the internet for personal use. However, many companies have taken the issue into their own hands. Tracking the internet use is a common method in terms of visited websites and engagement in other online activities. Likewise, it is quite common that employers these days have written policies regarding personal computer usage as a support mechanism for discipline and even for discharge.

As an employee, it is very important to be aware of the line of acceptance at your workstation. In the Dutch workplace using the internet and mobile for personal use is acceptable to certain extend. 15 to 20 minutes per day is quite tolerable, which generates a pleasant atmosphere for both employers and employees.