When I was 18, my dad got me a summer job working on the line at the Ford plant he worked at. We had cars coming down the line every 55 seconds. In the time I had to install the right front door window. Now the first week, I could hardly keep up, but after awhile I got good at it, really good at it, to the point where I could get the job done in under 40 seconds. So I would bring a book, news paper, walkman, etc, and entertain myself between cars. The line supervisor didn't care, as long as every car that went down the line had a window properly installed.
I realize you don't operate an assembly line; however the premise is still the same. You say this is a good employee, so my first question is; does he or she get all the expected work finished in a given day. Before you, can answer that, you need to know what that amount of work is. If the answer is yes to both questions, then I don't understand the problem. You pay this person an agreed amount of money to do an agreed amount of work in a specific amount of time. If they get his work done in less time without it affecting work quality, you should be happy. However, to expect an employee to do more work in a given day than you have previously agreed upon with out added compensation, is not fair, and may even be unethical. Now if the employee chooses to do more work on their on accord, without the expectation for extra compensation that is even better for you, and probably the employee in the long run. You can hope for his scenario, but should never expect it. And when employees do go beyond the call of duty, you should reward them, especially if you would like this to behavior to happen again in the future.
However, if this person is not completing the required amount of work in a given time, then a conversation about this needs to happen. The conversation should only be about work quantity, quality, and time management. It should not involve discussions about personal activities on business time including internet usage (unless the internet sights are offensive to others or are breaking the law). Your goal should be to ensure this person is a productive employee.
I am a Solution Consultant for Monster.ca and I deal with HR departments everyday and help them deal with these kinds of issues.
Installing“big brother” software will only reduce overall moral. And this is something we try to instill in our clients as a huge taboo!
I hope this helps
