Judge Rules Web-Surfing Can’t Get You Fired
Today in New York, Administrative Law Judge John Spooner ruled that Toguir Choudhri, a 14-year veteran of the Department of Education, who had been accused of browsing the internet at work and ignoring supervisors’ requests to stop, cannot be fired.
“It should be observed that the Internet has become the modern equivalent of a telephone or a daily newspaper, providing a combination of communication and information that most employees use as frequently in their personal lives as for their work.”
He added: “For this reason, city agencies permit workers to use a telephone for personal calls, so long as this does not interfere with their overall work performance. Many agencies apply the same standard to the use of the Internet for personal purposes.”
Spooner dispensed the lightest possible punishment on Choudhri, a reprimand, after a search of Choudhri’s computer files revealed he had visited several news and travel sites. [“Web-surfing worker can’t be fired” (Yahoo!News)]
(emphasis, mine of course)
I wish I could send a copy of that article to my old boss. Heh. Anyway, my new boss believes that anyway and I think it’s very practical and it’s the way of the 21rst Century. As long as your work is getting done, who cares what else you’re doing?
You may also enjoy...
One comment
Leave a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.
on April 24, 2006 at 12:11 pm
Tamara said:
It’s pretty flexible here, too, although I often worry that I might be avoiding seeking out new responsibilities that could get me even more positive reviews. But then I just shrug and click away!