In this 24/7, work-never-stops world, many of us conduct personal business on our company computer or Blackberry.
We research movie times, make purchases, share data with friends and store photos.
Most times, our company handbook has told us not to. Policy says we are prohibited from visiting social network sites, e-Commerce sites and sending personal email. But let's be real: who really follows that policy?
Most companies these days accept this reality. Most forward-thinking bosses realize that technology has blurred the dividing lines between office and home, work life and personal life. In fact, most bosses understand that balancing and blending the two makes for happier and more informed employees. Many companies block some of the stickier sites that could lead to abuse of this balance (eBay, Facebook, etc.) And most keep the usage policy in place for legal reasons and so that abuse of the balance can be enforced.