When you have downtime at the office, it can be tempting to browse job boards or send a colleague your resume from your office computer, but these seemingly simple acts can be detrimental to your career. If you’re one of the many people browsing online or sending personal emails at work, you need to read this. You might think that you can get away with browsing for positions, gossiping about coworkers on slack, or anything else less than ideal at the office, but it’s time to rethink your office habits.
The Risks
It’s very common that people provide me with their work email when inquiring about resume writing services, then proceed to tell me all about how and why they’re looking for a new job. To put it nicely, this makes me cringe. There are a few things wrong with this scenario:
- The person is using a work email for personal use
- The person is explaining their desire to leave their current job in favor of a new role
- The person (potentially explains) less than ideal office politics or culture
Why are these even issues? Companies can legally look at employees work email to monitor activity and ensure that aligns with company policies.
So many people use their work email to apply for jobs and for personal use which can cause a huge issue. If you’re applying to other positions from a work email, chances are that you are violating some sort of code of ethics.
The Scary Truth
If you feel like this is unheard of and don’t feel like your company is paying attention to these details, you’re likely wrong.
A recent survey conducted by Alfresco, a digital business platform suggests that 98% of companies monitor their employees’ digital activity, while 11% of employees aren’t aware that their company captures digital activity at all.
Specific results showed that 87% of companies monitor email, 70% look at your web browser history, 55% monitor Slack or Chatter, 41% check your work voicemail, and 34% look at Facebook or LinkedIn.
How To Change Your Habits
It can be hard to change your office habits, but it’s important that you follow office protocol and that you protect yourself. No need to get into a sticky situation where your boss finds out that you’re interviewing somewhere else, or finds out that you’ve been sharing negative thoughts on the company and/or your position. This could cause tension, but that may be the least of your problems. If it turns out that you’ve used your company email to go against office policy, you could potentially lose your job.
Instead of using your work email, make it a point to use your personal email for any correspondence that is not directly work related. It’s also a smart idea to create a new email account that you only use for your job search. This will enable you to ensure that you keep everything separate.
It’s also wise not to use your work computer even if you’re using a personal email account. Instead, send an email from your phone, or wait until you leave the office so you can use your personal computer. Considering that about 70% of employers check employees web browser history, they will notice if you’re on your personal email account or social media pages all day.
Changing your habits might be difficult, but if you’re browsing online or sending personal emails at work, it’s important that you make the switch.