IT use at work, how screwed am I?

[bonnieweelass]

Will try to keep this short but changing some small things so not to ID me.

Have worked in current company for over 10 years. Same role 9 years, higher role this past year.

Busy job and I often take work home to work in evenings and weekends.

I like my manager, I thought we had a good relationship, friendly, from same town etc.

But these past 3 months problems have been occuring.

In September I had to make a complaint of disability discrimination - reasonable adjustments had not been made. It is resolved now but I remain unhappy it happened in first place.

In October, my manager expressed concerns about my performance but assured me it was all informal and he just wanted to help me and see me progress within the organisation. He felt I wasn't meeting deadlines. I have told him several times I have simply too much to do. I also reminded him of my disabilities/health conditions and he said he would make a referral to occupational health to see how I can be supported in work.

November, he tells me he thinks I am using the internet excessively and IT are investigating it. He asked what I'm looking at and I said I stick to breaks and business use outwith breaks. I was panicky and upset as it was a bit out of the blue and I was struggling to remember what I'd looked at. He kept repeating 'don't panic', 'calm down', 'if its business use then that's okay'.

But I've been thinking of the sites I access and I know it will come up and I will be challenged. These sites include:
news sites - not just during breaks
youtube - partly for work reasons (we post videos online) and also for background music whilst I work - it helps with my stress levels (I have mental illness - disclosed to my manager and HR previously)
twitter/linkedin - again for work, I tweet about our events and good news. I never message anyone during working hours.
mumsnet - lunch break only and I never post anything, just surf.
I worry there may be something else I've forgotten.

Also, 5 years ago I was suspended for the internet usage (plus other things). I got a second stage written warning. HR confirmed after a year that it was no longer on my record but what if its brought up again this time? Is that likely?

Also, how likely am I to be suspended again, given that last time there were more things I was accused of? I do not want to put my family through that again, the stress and worry nearly killed my dad. I ended up in hospital myself.

Two colleagues who I trust say I am being discriminated against and victimised. One is leaving due to unreasonable workload and the other is jobsearching.

I'm shit scared and I need some advice and reassurance from anyone who works in HR (public sector) or is a legal type.

Saying that you were looking at ads for a course via news pages might sound like you are lying so I'd be careful about that. . It just sounds a bit tenuous even if it's not. . If they were mostly the same type of news page then it might look even worse.

It sounds as though your manager feels have been missing deadlines
You Have said you have been given too much work without enough support etc
Manager is dubious about this and questions the work you might get through without xs internet surfing
He is investigating this to see if his hunch plays out

I have personally found that people often wildly underestimate the time they spend on the Internet. Lunch often becomes a two hour affair only broken by eating.
If this turns out to be the case. Accept it and move forward - not surfing the Internet in work again, really.

You will know if you read gossip sites you tubed shopped read news and generally titted about during the time you claimed you were being overworked

If you didn't overindulge I can't see a problem.

I think it could look dodgy OP, sorry.

Your manager doesn't think you're making deadlines, but you have time to surf YouTube? I don't think that would go down very well - but if you're lucky it may only result in a written warning, not anything more serious.

Please don't risk it anymore, though. Can you not bring a pre-loaded iPod for music if you're allowed to listen to it? I really wouldn't recommend using your works internet for YouTube in the first place, so it's probably time to find a new strategy.

Didn't want to read and run so good luck OP. I do think much of what you've said does sound bad. However as your last hearing is outwith timescales it is separate but they could use it to question you. I think you need to stop using the internet including music sites in work with immediate effect unless it's actually for work related reasons. You've mentioned music helping your disability, do you have anything to back this up i.e. Occ Health referrals suggesting this or agreement from a current or previous managed you can listen to music? If not I would use an iPod/phone and not your work computer. I agree with many of the PPs that you're stating your current workload is unreasonable so the timing of internet usage does make it look like potential poor time management. Do you have evidence of asking your line manager for support in workload? If so this would help that issue.

Ultimately I would ask your GP for help if the can help your stress levels and lack of sleep but remain in work and await the next stage. Good luck

If you genuinely believe that sites you were browsing for legitimate work reasons might look like skiving to someone else, you need to be able to explain, clearly and without emotion, the reason.

DH worked in an office where they planned road widening schemes and the like. The council attempted to discipline one of his team for looking at the RSPB site during working hours. He had consulted it because he had to go and check if there were likely to be any birds nesting in the trees which were due to be cut down - it's an offence to cut trees down while anything is nesting in it. This is not the kind of thing your average HR person would think of, but it was a legitimate reason.

If you were you taking notes to write up a report, eg showing the dates and urls consulted with comments about 'how they sell' to customers, I think I would be more inclined to take you seriously than if you had no idea what sites you were browsing, or when or what you had learned from looking at them.

I have spoken to my manager several times about my workload yes, but I don't have a note of that. I do have some evidence to justify my internet use and I'm trying to gather more.

I spoke to him a bit today and he repeated that it is informal but with 'for now' tagged on. He was joking a bit with me throughout the day, all friendly acting and he has given me a bit project to work on...all looks positive but I keep waiting to hear the IT report has arrived as it could completely change everything.

My colleague reckons its all very threatening. She pulled me into her office and gave me tea and a big hug with lots of swearing (from her and another supportive colleague) about it all. She thinks its all "total bollocks", that I work really hard, everyone checks the internet and that if asked for their thoughts they will 100% back me up. Apparently he has badly managed someone else too. They reckon he just likes to assert his authority and is 'all talk'.

I'm trying to be positive tonight and have decided to carry on working as best as I can, be more careful with internet use and say things like "taking his comments on board", "determined to improve" etc

Ultimately its a wait and see.

Hmm, be very careful about colleagues who say they would back you 100%. They rarely do.

I would keep my head down, NOT discuss anything with any colleagues and use zero internet. Or if you have to for work purposes, document the link, time/date accessed and for what reason.

I'm sorry that you are worried and distressed.

If you work for a very large organisation the investigation into your usage will be out of your manager's hands. It will rest with IT Security.

They will have a complete history of internet, email and instant messenger use.

The concerns over internet usage won't have been raised by your manager, they'll have been automatically raised by IT Security monitoring. So your issues with workload and adjustments may become irrelevant in any discussion over this breach of your conduct.

Depending on what their investigation shows you may get away with a warning but honestly I'm surprised that having been suspended for the same thing only 5 years ago that you wouldn't have been keen to avoid even the mere
suggestion of impropriety.

You need to be able to back up Internet useage with valid reasons. Ie I used Internet on this date during works time for this reason
As you have previously been disciplined re Internet useage then you will need to show that you have not been doing this again

I wouldn't put too much store or what colleagues are saying/doing. This is between you and employer and although they are being supportive if Employer has proof of Internet misuse then that is the issue
I would be loathe to use being overworked as part of defence as Employer could then raise issue that If you are overworked how are you finding time to go on the Internet.

Is there a way you could request via foi the Internet useage records of all other members of team - if everyone uses Internet during work time then surely they couldn't just discipline you.

Good luck

Can you just stop using the internet at work completely? Do you have internet at home instead? If I'd been disciplined before and had a manager like yours I think I'd be actively avoiding any opportunity for him to mis manage me!

actually if IT are auto monitoring fir excessive use then that means they could habe managed sendibly but chose not to..which actually helps argue a witchhunt rather than sensible behaviour management.. rather like a manager in say a coffee shop deliberately 'letting' you make coffee incorrectly for a month before disciplining you for 'persistently making coffee incorrectly' when a reasonable manaher would have told you how to make coffee.

You tube playlists autoplay and its not in the url. Newssites ..it would be normal for these to stay on in the background etc etc. Its extremely unlikely they have info of what was actually on screen, as this would mean keylogging/screen capture which will be against policy (as if reasonable use is allowed you could capture bank dets etc).

the swift disability status, then criticism of work, then non-complaint led it use investigation is odd. If blanket investigation, ok, but just you just after disability, with unwarrented criticism...way too suspicious.

One think to bear in mind is that if there is a meeting l its often best to ask what they have, wait until you hear everything they have..keep asking re 'any more accusations or things you want comment on' etc, then without saying anything, confirm this is everything they are presenting, then adjorn without comment or apology and say you will respond in due course..and leave. Saying reasons or admitting things may come back to bite you.

I was in a situation where i said 'wow that's a serious allegation' (it was false) without a witness. Their notes read 'scaryclown admitted what they did was serious' so be careful!

thank you, yes I think things I've said could come back to bite me eg he's said "you knew what the job was like when you applied". It's really hard to tell if he's supportive or not.

scaryclown he requested the IT report he says, so not IT flagging anything up, afaik anyway.

I'm not very good at expressing myself (due to my disabilities) or defending myself and this is another reason I can get into trouble as I can say the 'wrong' thing looking like an admission of guilt.

I have another meeting with manager this afternoon.

The concerns over internet usage won't have been raised by your manager, they'll have been automatically raised by IT Security monitoring. So your issues with workload and adjustments may become irrelevant in any discussion over this breach of your conduct.

It can happen both ways with us.

I'll be honest here. I agree with the posters who say your explanations sound pretty dodgy and tenuous.

What were the previous accusations of bullying about, if you don't mind me asking? I'm wondering if your manager's perception of you is being clouded by those previous accusations.

How did the meeting go yesterday afternoon?

Whilst I do sympathise with the OP I do think her 'explanations' are a bit dodgy and if I was her manager I'd be looking into her usage with a fine tooth comb.

If I had been suspended for excessive internet use in the past there's no way I'd be using it at work unless it was required for something I was working on, I certainly wouldn't be using YouTube to play music - which where I work (Local Authority) would count as excessive usage by itself, I'd use Spotify on my phone etc.

My manager doesn't know about previous bullying nor previous disciplinary.

Union rep says he can't keep it handing over me. Is it happening or not?

Rep also says it doesn't sound unreasonable use and that previous warning cannot be alluded to as its expired.

Manager acting normal. Giving me extra work and positive feedback which rep said is contradictory - if he doesn't trust me he wouldn't do that?

Also I have some more evidence to back me up

Having a website open in the background, e.g. forgetting to close a news site ,will be monitored in one of two ways- either IT will pick up that you are not actively using the site or it will be discounted if it shows up you were on it for an unlikely amount of time. So one page open on the BBC News/Daily Mail/MN/ASOS etc for 3 hours with no activity would be discounted, every click on a news story (or MN thread or item of clothing on a shopping site etc) takes you to a different URL so effectively a different webpage. So 3 hours clicking links = activity, 3 hours with a tab open doesn't.

How stessful OP!

Try to stay calm and reasonable

still no news on IT report although I have an occupational health assessment next week which I am nervous about.

manager still acting normal. Union rep says she spoke to 'someone' (name not given) and rather cryptically told me just to get on with my work and not to worry...I don't know what that means and don't feel I can relax in case something gets dropped on me.