I really have mixed feeling about this issue, especially since I retired from a large corporation that monitored internet usage. I too was insufficiently challenged, and used my spare time to noodle around on the net and check into Mudcat. I used my lunch hours to work on my songbook on the company PC. This "noodling" brought entertainment but also invaluable lessons in terms of design ideas, navigation, HTML and other languages, etc. My rationale was that I was improving my web skills, and I still believe that to be true.

However, there were other occasions when I used my spare time to investigate new software packages and information in trade journals, which I eventually used in the course of my work in I.T. and were of direct benefit to my employer.

I asked myself this question: if this were my company and my money, would I want all my employees to be doing what I'm doing? Despite the benefits, including reduction in stress, increased morale, web skills, etc., the fact remains that that time belongs to the employer, and it's the employee's job to work for pay during that time. Despite the fact that I felt myself to be an extremely productive and creative type (don't we all?), most people are something less than that, and any reasonable employer would not want them surfing the net rather than seeking out productive work. It's hard to get over the attitude that it's O.K. for me but don't let all those other folks surf the web all day whenever they feel like it!

Internet monitoring software has been around for quite awhile, and the employer has an obligation to post a notice somewhere that the employees are subject to monitoring. The policy should also be clearly stated in writing so there is no surprise when confronted.

What I ended up doing at my job was leaving the office during lunch, and sometimes going home to surf the net. And it turned out that this was just the beginning of the awareness that led me to leave corporate life entirely, with no regrets!