AIBU to ask what is general work etiquette with surfing internet while at work? In Britain

[hiddenselkie]

I'm currently living in European country and generally, it's understood, if you work at computer, you should browse internet (for pleasure) at the end of working day, after you're finished with work.
AIBU to ask how it is at your work? Just for curiosity.

At the end of the working day, I go home as soon as possible. Is your office staying behind to browse internet for pleasure?

No, it's seen as disrespectful if you go before end of your shift or, if you work 8 hours, not to be full 8 hours at work, even if you have no work left. It's hard to explain. For example, if you work till 18h, most people stay at work till 18h, even if there's nothing left to do.

I work fully Flexi, when I'm done for the day I put my hours in my spreadsheet and go home as long as I've done around 3 hrs morning and afternoon that's fine a standard full day for me would be 7.4 hrs inc 2 paid 15 min breaks + a minimum of 30 mins unpaid for lunch but as I'm fully flexible now I can flex my day how my / business needs require it. I will likely work a longer shift later in the week / month, what I'm not doing is hanging around killing time for no reason.

I don’t think I know anyone who has a job where there isn’t alway more to do.

Lunchtime

I browse on my phone if I don't have anything to do, my manager is fine with it
It's not a job where I can ask for more work

When I worked in the UK there wasn’t much to be browsed on the work PC/laptop except for google, news etc. SM websites were blocked; I used to see people browsing property websites when I walked by their desks but that’s as exciting as it go. It was normal for people to do a quick browse here and there as a break from whatever they were doing but by no means browse for hours.
also we worked way more than the contracted hours so net net I’m sure we weren’t ‘stealing’ company time.

Totally normal in most workplaces to briefly look something up between tasks. Not just browsing idly for hours, but most of my colleagues would glance at the news or social media a few times a day, for a few minutes at a time, or quickly check their bank balance or whatever.

This for me too. There's always work to do. Where I work, no-one uses the internet for personal use even if they had time (which they don't). Everything is tracked by IT security and this has been the norm for many years. Most external sites are blocked unless they're work related.

I think you need to explain what job you do OP. There are too many variables! There isn’t a set etiquette as there isn’t a set job.

We had a phase where people were streaming music via YouTube and listening through headphones to cope with being in an open plan office but IT blocked that as it was causing performance issues on the network. Some of us need unblocked internet to be able to research for our jobs so it’s on trust it’s work related. You’d have to be pretty daft to log into personal accounts like social media on your work computer/phone. These days in office based roles most people have their phones on them so use those if they want to use the Internet for personal use eg quickly check the news/weather/email, browse MN at coffee break etc

Not for me. I use my own phone to surf

My work is never finished as there is always more to do so I don’t have free time at the end. But if I need to check something personal during work time I use my phone.

@hiddenselkie

No, it's seen as disrespectful if you go before end of your shift or, if you work 8 hours, not to be full 8 hours at work, even if you have no work left. It's hard to explain. For example, if you work till 18h, most people stay at work till 18h, even if there's nothing left to do.

I don't think the poster you were replying to was saying that she left work early - just that when she has finished her shift she gets off home rather than sitting in her office surfing the internet.

Wouldn't use any work device or work environment to browse the net.
Out the door like a jack rabbit.

Yes there isn't a single UK etiquette or way of doing things, it will vary hugely depending on industry and job. How much working from home is allowed makes a difference too. I've had jobs where it was completely expected and fine to leave work halfway through the day to go to the pub or put your feet up on the desk and read the paper and smoke a fag if you had no work to do (this probably dates me hugely!) and jobs where you couldn't even look at your phone or have your phone out on the desk, never mind browse insta or do your shopping, and everything in between!

If I had to sum up UK workplace culture on this, I'd say it's 'don't take the piss', i.e. if you're done for the day but hanging around in case the phone rings or boss walks past, a quick bit of browsing or phone time is fine, but be discreet, it's not on to be too blatant as it's rude to those that are still working hard and might draw the boss's attention to the lack of work being done in a way that's unhelpful both to you and your colleagues. Just like it's ok, indeed desirable, to spend a bit of time in the office making cups of tea and chit chatting but not to the point it stops you or others getting their work done, or makes it totally obvious you've got nothing to do. Or fine if you're working from home to put a quick wash on or load the dishwasher, but don't go AWOL all day and then complain about lack of time or too much work. Or indeed it's cool to pass time the old fashioned way, staring into space or out of the window while thinking about your dinner/the cat/your next holiday/what you'd like to do to your coworkers but if it gets to the point where you haven't moved, clicked, typed, shuffled papers or shown signs of life in some hours, expect there to be comment!

I hear on here all the time about some people thinking their jobs are much harder than any others. But this is a prime example of exactly what many jobs just don't allow or lend themselves to, while some people are able to take their time.

I didn't stop to even check my own phone between 7:10 and 4:45pm. I had resources to make, printing to do, briefing to attend, an assembly to run, corridors to patrol, lessons to teach, break duty to supervise, lessons to teach, a meeting to lead, marking to do (while eating), a lesson to teach, a parent to call, and a CPD session to deliver. I had internet access most of the day, but for work, and no downtime. I'd feel like I was taking the piss if I sat back during working hours to browse the web, as the job doesn't get done in the allocated hours as it is.

It depends on the internet policy that your employer has in place - you'd be better off asking them!

Work time is for work; home time is for browsing the internet and all other stuff. And of course you stay for your contracted hours, unless you want to get fired.

Higher up the management chain, hours aren't contracted so much. It's expected to do a full day - occasionally leaving early, occasionally staying late as the job requires.

Depends on the employer. At my firm, they aren’t bothered if it’s outside work hours or at lunchtime, and not to bothered the rest of the time unless it affects productivity and work isn’t getting done. I think they’re much more laid back than many.

The above also only applies to appropriate websites - no porn, gambling, etc.

Of course you work your shift and no wouldn't be on the Internet if I'm being paid to work.

Totally dpends on your employer, there's no rules about it

Ive never had a job where the work ran out before the end of the day so the concept of sitting browsing isn't one I can imagine

How long do you browse the internet for at the end of the working day? In my previous employer, they would know and gather these kind of statistics from you/your workmates and work out how many of you they could get rid of because, if you're surfing the net for pleasure while being paid to do a job, they don't need all of you.

People only really do it on their lunchbreak at my work place other than a quick Google of something vaguely work related like where shall we go for the team Christmas lunch or what is a nice present to get for Xs leaving present.

My employer wouldn't care if I did a bit of browsing (or more likely MNing) while I was waiting for a calculation to finish - but (obviously, I'd have thought) on my own devices and not my work machine.