Internet filtering at work

[jimandr]

Apologies if there is already a topic about this. But my workplace takes its internet access for employees very seriously, and we have just changed filtering software. It is an inside joke in our workplace that you can commit murder and probably get away with a caution, but it is certain dismissal if you distribute an offensive joke or look at a dodgy picture.

Anyway, we have just changed from a package called 'surf control' to a package called 'websense'. In theory, we used to have a limit of 30 minutes a day for 'non work-related use', but that was largely self-regulated. If you looked at an inappropriate site you got 'reported' by surf control, but you were safe unless you abused it.

Now, under web sense we have a limit of 60 minutes, in blocks of 10 minutes at a time, to look at stuff. But almost everything is marked as not being work related except industry sites. So looking at the newspaper sites counts to the daily allowance.

Thankfully research sites, such as google and wikipedia, don't count. So I can look up whatever song is playing on the radio, and then pretend to know a lot about Cheap Trick, for example. And Google Maps/Streetview is an absolute boon as a timewaster late in the afternoon.

The real puzzle is that an attempt has been made to categorise the entire internet into appropriate categories and non-appropriate categories. Anything labelled 'social networking' is blocked. For facebook and the like this is fair enough, but it includes any site that has capability to accept input. But it only works if 'they' know about it.

So I can access Ozgolf as long as I don't try to log in, and ISG, but I can't access The Golf Forum. Ozgolf is under the Sport and Recreation category, but TGF is labelled social networking.

Is this the sort of thing others have? Or is it just wierd?

[AndyP]

It's not in my workplace. I guess it would be too hard to categorise what we need for our job and what we don't.

[3oneday]

We have a filter at my work... me ;)

[LarryLong]

My filter sits on the desk beside me and has an annoying habit of reading my screen when I'm working.

We also have a software filter that seems to stuff up most of the functions of another golf forum, but doesn't seem to care about this one.

Not sure if this will work for you, but if you are looking to get around your filter for some sites, what does it classify something as if you search for it with google, and then look at the 'cached' results rather than going to the page itself? Google cache may just be your best friend if it comes up as 'research'. :) I'd imagine they would have thought of that, but you never know. :)

[Grunt]

I have no internet access whilst at work. They even send us links to pages in emails that we have to forward to our home addresses to look at. We have intranet access, plus the weather bureau, CASA and our work Credit union on the work system.

[shazza_rs]

How the hell do you post from work then?????

[Grunt]

How the hell do you post from work then?????

We all put in and bought a Virgin 3G setup and plugged it in at the smoko room. It's service got really bad when the i-phone came out so now I don't have it.
I have hardly posted from work as such in the last 6 months. The service is crap.

[poidda]

Proxy Ninja will be your friend. (if it's not blocked) If it is blocked there's hundreds of theses sort of sites. I used it when I worked for the police and it worked a treat.

www.proxyninja.com (http://www.proxyninja.com)

[Iain]

No internet access at work, except on my iPhone, and for obvious reason's I don't use it all the time!!

[Eag's]

We all put in and bought a Virgin 3G setup and plugged it in at the smoko room. It's service got really bad when the i-phone came out so now I don't have it.
I have hardly posted from work as such in the last 6 months. The service is crap.

Imagine if you were posting from work, you could be pushing 20000 posts buy now :shock:

[Minor_Threat]

We have websense also with the 6 x 10 minute blocks..

Social Netwoking etc is blocked but we can access sports sites etc with the 10 minute allowances..

[jimandr]

I have no real interest in 'beating the system'. I am old fashioned enough to believe that you should work during worktime for most of the day. But clearly five minutes here or there to look at the online newspapers does nobody any harm.

One of the bizarre things is the 6 by 10 minute blocks. You feel obligated to use your ten minutes, whether you actually have anything you want to look at or not.

My real objection is to being treated like a child who can't be trusted with the key to the toy cupboard.

[henno]

My real objection is to being treated like a child who can't be trusted with the key to the toy cupboard.

Absolutely. I used to work for a "clock watcher" and they used to monitor every time I took an extra 10mins on lunch, or I was 5mins late. The trade off is that I was always out the door at 5:01pm and not a minute later.

My current employer doesn't really care when I work, and occasionally I arrive late and leave early, but in the long run they are better off as I get far more done, I leave when the work's done regardless of the time and rarely take lunch breaks. Plus the workplace is a happy and flexible environment.

People work harder when they are in control of what they do. I am a big believer of giving people a bit of trust, if they get the work done regardless of the small 20min breaks here and there who cares. If they don't, then move them on.

Micro-management such as some of the examples in here is just a band-aid solution for either paranoid bosses or unsuitable workers. Give people some rope and they will either run with it, or hang themselves. No need to watch over them like a 2 year old.

[chappy1970]

I can access Ozgolf but not ISG at work, suppose that's a good thing as I enjoy this site plenty more than that other rabble

[markTHEblake]

Jim, you hit the nail on the head - we are supposed to be working at work. If people are complaining about net filters then the filter is doing its job.

Henno, that's all well and good in some workplaces where people work independantly but not others. In many environments when someone is 10 mins late somebody else has to cover them, and that is not fair on the colleagues, customers and the employer.

[welshy]

Concur with MTB on this - depends on the work environment tho I guess but IMO it causes extra workload and stress on the rest of your colleagues/team...unless ur a pron star