Technology, Law and the Workplace: Week in Review (The Cyberloafing Edition)

How do employees spend their time at work?  They perform work duties, of course, but a few other things as well.  For example, might they manage their fantasy football teams?  Sure.  According to the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, 32 million people play fantasy sports, the most popular of which is fantasy football.  Play games on their phones?  Yep, that too.  Surf the web?  You bet.  How concerned should employers be about their workers' time trolling the web and playing games?  While every employer should be very interested in what their employees do (and don't do)during work hours, a recent study suggests that cyberloafing improves productivity.

As with so many work matters, a thoughtful, common-sense, middle ground approach may be the best policy.


Technology in the Workplace

• Should your Social Media or Business Sytems Policy Limit or Prohibit Fantasy Football (Employment Matters Blog)
• IRS Provides Updated Guidance on the Use of Employer Provided Cell Phones (Employment Law Update)
• Distracted Company Drivers (Using Cell Phones) are Costly to Employers (Employment Law Bits)
• Blocking Social Media Sites Won't Stop Time Thieves (The Globe and Mail)
• An Employer's Response to a Social Media Nightmare: Thoughts (Employer Handbook)

Technology and the Law More Generally

• Net Neutrality Rules Approved by OMB: Stage Set for Litigation and Legislative Challenges (TMT Law Watch)
• The Data Breach you may not have heard about, but should definitely care about (Massachusetts Privacy Law Blog)
• Google Buys a Thousand IBM Patents (Engadget)
• Author's Guild Sues Universities Over Book Digitization Project (Arts Technica)
• Update Urged on Children's Online Privacy (NY Times)

Technology this Week

• Google Flight Search vs. Kayak (NY Times)
• Is AOL About to Announce its Own Social Network (ReadWriteWeb)
• Boston Globe Redesigns Site, Erects Paywall (Boston Globe)
• Metro (Windows 8) Introduced (Daring Fireball)
• Facebook Becomes More Twitter-like with Subscriptions (Facebook)
• RIM Suffers as Profit Falls 58.7% (NY Times)

Contributed and compiled by Scott Raver