Grondar

I have been wondering this for quite some time, especially given the fact that I don't have a job that allows me to access the Internet while working.

Why exactly is viewing a NSFW (not safe for work) site an issue at work?

Is it becase all the websites you view are logged, and later looked over?

Or is it because someone passing your cubicle may see the NSFW material, be offended/pissed/angry and cause problems?

I realize it is an issue in both instances, but I am curious about whether companies check the "surfing history" of their workers, or if the only reason viewing NSFW sites is that someone else may see your monitor and cause problems.

etla

Mostly this in my case. I work at a help desk with the general public passing by and able to see (with some squinting) everything on my screen. Even relatively mild stuff like fashion photos can cause complaints. Full out nudity if observed will result in an unpleasent management meeting at the least.

I generally surf with images off to prevent those meetings.

Boner

I can think of several reasons:

- NSFW content has nothing to do with work (unless you work with porn), and if you are browsing it you aren't working
- Its waaaayyyy too easy to get a harassment lawsuit brought against you and your employer.
- I have nothing against NSFW in general, but I really don't want to walk past screens with japscat being displayed on them. You have to draw the line somewhere, and you can't say something like "boobies are OK, but anal sex isn't."

gov135

Your supposed to be working at work. And believe me, yes, your activities are traced and monitored by employers. Why do you think IM was taken out so quickly? Cause nearly everyone was found to be abusing it.

Remember, as soon as you cross the threshold at the place of business where you work, you lose ALL expectation of privacy. This includes video cameras as well as monitoring internet, etc. This is basic law, but alot of people don't know it.

There is actually a scale used to determine acceptable levels of screwing off on the internet as opposed to working.

Don't view NSFW at work. It doesn't take much to catch someone, and its a great reason for termination cause the person caught has no arguement.

ratbastid

Anyone who sees those images on your screen can be offended and bring a harassment suit.

Anyone who sees those images and thinks someone else might be offended <i>even if they're not offended themselves</i> can bring a harassment suit.

The standard for "Is it harassment?" is whether someone else might conceivably possibly maybe be offended by the material. With punitive damages reaching easily into the millions of dollars for single instances of alledged harassment, any company that doesn't have a firm hand on this sort of thing is run by morons.

World's King

Becasue it's not safe for work... duh?

There is something wrong about surfing for porn in the company of your co-workers. Do you really wanna walk into a meetng with a hard on and a cum stain on your pants?

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BoCo

You're working for a company that is paying you money to work! How would you feel if you were paying some kid by the hour to mow your lawn, and he spent most of that time doing something other than what you were paying him to do? Also, as easy as it is to sue a company over sexual harrassment, it's just best not to have nude images in the workplace.

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thadon

damn, I'm screwed ... I surf the TFP from work every damn hour

Cynthetiq

there are some workplaces that do monitor everything, and even if you accidentally get to a porn site the security team will be at your desk is a few minutes. it's pretty amazing actually.

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splck

It's good to be the boss

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krazykemist

Bingo. That's it in my case. I work for an internet company so its almost guaranteed that activity is traced. I dont really worry about it that much though. I work graveyard by myself so noone else there to harass. I'm not intentionally going to goto a porn site or the Titty Board while at work but I do read online journals and comics like sexylosers or view the posts in the Exhibition forum that is unless it has the words "White Snake" in the title

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CSflim

If they're worried about goofing off, why is it only NSFW material that is the issue? I mean it's not like you would get sacked for checking out the latest fark links or anything?

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i8one2

Always keep two browser windows open, one NSFW and the other one on Weather.com.

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heyal256

just like etla, I also work at a help desk, and let me tell you that i know for a FACT that everything is logged. It also doesn't help that almost ALL of the cubicles at work no longer have full walls, so everybody can see anything that you are doing. It's hard enough to keep people from looking at your screen when they sneak up behind you, but it is even harder when the person doesn't even have to leave their cube to see what you are doing.

sngx1275

Thats not the case for all jobs. Not all jobs pay by the hour. I wouldn't pay some kid by the hour to mow my lawn, I'd pay him by the job done. So I figure as long (if you are on salary) as you get your stuff done it shouldn't matter what you are doing between the hours of 9 and 5.

laconic1

When I work at the dealership suring the summer occasionally the service advisor will bring a customer back into the shop so they can better understand what is being done to their vehicle. Mechanics don't exactly have a stellar image amongst a lot of people, and it certainly doesn't look professional or make an apprehensive customer feel any better about spending money at your shop if a service advisor brings a customer paying 100 dollars an hour for labor into your bay only to find you staring at tits.

WhoaitsZ

hmm. NSFW. i don't blame the bosses at _all_ for making things NSFW. this day and age i could be sued for looking at a teddy bear the wrong way.

personally, if you're working the average job i say get to work.... do your job.

now if the boss doesn't have work for you.... keep a hot key handy to zap everything off if someone pops up

platypus

I second that!

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Peetster

It's good to be the guy that is in charge of monitoring content. :-)

blkdmnd

It's good to be the boss

The joy of being at the top.

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platypus

Before I was boss, at a previous job, the president of the company presented me with a printout of the NSFW sites I had visited from my office computer. It was pages in length.

Good thing he and I were on such great terms. His only complaint was that because he had 'researched' many of them from his home computer, when his girlfriend tried to surf the net on his pc, IE would pre-fill the url of a porn site every time she typed into the address line. She wasn't amused.

His advice? Keep it to a minimum and keep my office door shut.

It's good to be a friend of the boss.

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redravin40

Since I work for the state, before I can even go on the net I have to click a box that says I understand that the internet is a tool that the state allows me to use and that anything I do will be monitered.
I don't even go to TFP or Fark because there is a chance that one of the syst ops will be going into the system.
Since at our office the support are all women, I suspect any NSFW material would cause serious problems.

Troublebot

If you know how to manage your windows, you should have no problems.

I handle all the computer stuff at our small office and it's understood that there are down times and it's ok to do some personal business or surfing on the internet.

I check out TFP alot from work, but I try to stay away from the Titty Board and the rest while I'm here. The NSFW label helps me tell if I should shit myself when someone walks in the room and I'm not quick enough with my mouse.

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hrdwareguy

In my case, the material is the issue. Since I share an office I don't want the other person to be offended by my surfing. As far as monitoring goes, the admin watches the network but who watches the admin

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scapegoat

i surf all the time, you just have to learn to be quick on the ALT-TAB , or with the ALT+F4

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cheerios

I work in a stockroom, the closest thing to a computer is the P1 i walk by that's used to print signs. at school I'll have downtime and cruise the tfp w/ av's and img's off but still, kinda weird to be lookin' @ porn when everyone else's doin' HW.