A recent move by Xerox Corp. which resulted in the termination of 40 employees nationwide has perked the attention of employers who provide Internet access to their workers.  The Xerox employees’ web-surfing habits had come under company scrutiny, and when it was discovered that some were spending up to eight hours per day surfing sites related mostly to shopping and pornography, Xerox “pulled the plug.”

At best, employees’ personal use of e-mail and Internet privileges can bog down the company’s server.  At worst, it can expose you to potential harassment or discrimination lawsuits. 

A PEO specializes in helping you construct workable company policies related to Internet use.  In most cases, simply adding a clause to your company handbook which clarifies that certain types of “surfing” are forbidden, and installing monitoring software (and making employees aware that you will use it) will be enough to prevent inappropriate use.