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Will I be unfaithful if I access my personal emails in office free time or have no task to do though it is mentioned in HR policies that we should not use internet for personal use.

I want to be very honest and don't want to breach the trust of my employer

So,

Is it good to ask for taking permission for accessing my personal email or browsing the websites for any other purpose which sometimes is of no use for our project in the office hour's free time or when have no task.

and will browsing the stack-exchange sites will be considered as for personal use though it develop personality and skills that can be useful for the company and as well as for myself.

Thanks.

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    Most organisations have an "Acceptable Use" policy. As a software developer, I frequently work in bursts and not at a steady rate. If it's not excessive and you are meeting or exceeding milestones, you generally have a little lattitude with "down time". But as pointed out in Helping Hands' answer, check the HR policies for your employer. It's certainly not something I would ask specifically. It gives the impression you plan to spend all day doing that :) – Jane S Apr 17 '15 at 5:31
  • Checking your mail is fine. Doing stuff on websites that are i.e. game-related, not so much. – Edwin Lambregts Apr 17 '15 at 6:49
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    @EdwinLambregts, Personal use doesn't mean that for game-related, or related to entertainment. I mention that sites for gaining knowledge but have nothing to do with projects or that too in free time.. – Ali786 Apr 17 '15 at 6:54
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    Hi ali, Workplace SE works best for questions that can be answered with facts, references, or experience. Questions that are speculative or that can only be answered by your own HR department don't fit well with our format. Take a look at How to Ask for guidance on how to form your question so it's less likely to be put on hold. Hope this helps. – jmort253 Apr 18 '15 at 5:44
  • Yes , A very decent advice will take care while asking next time. But I think this question can fit if I edit or make it very generic like what to do in office free time.. – Ali786 Apr 18 '15 at 6:13
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Most organisations have an "Acceptable Use" policy. As a software developer, I frequently work in bursts and not at a steady rate throughout the day. If it's not excessive and you are meeting or exceeding milestones, you generally have a little lattitude with "down time". If you are in a technical field, you most likely do not need to explain Stack Exchange or Stack Overflow as a valuable resource.

But as pointed out in Helping Hands' answer, check the HR policies for your employer. It's certainly not something I would ask specifically. It gives the impression you plan to spend all day doing that instead of doing what you are paid to do :)

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If it is already mentioned in HR policies then you should not ask to access. Even if you ask for permission then they will deny. Because they will think that if they allow you then in future other employee can do same request and there will be no meaning of HR policy then so.

Specially for "stack-exchange" sites you can ask for permission if it is coming in way like you can get more knowledge in your job profile and can help you company also by growing your knowledge. But in this case also you will have to explain then how it can help me to grow and how important it is for me [I mean you].

Also in other case , I agree that you are honest but they will think that if allow then it can possible that you spend more time on personal things rather than work.

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Talk to your boss - there may be more flexibility in the day to day application of the policy than in the plain text of the official statement of the policy. I check my personal email while at work. People including family members may want to get in touch with me and emailing me is less disruptive to my workflow than calling me on my cell.

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