Stop the Fun, Get Back to Work

OK, so who hasn't slacked off at work watching the latest SNL skit on their computer, or passed the afternoon hours with an online game of Sudoku? If you work at New Haven city hall, your days of online entertainment are over.

In its latest crackdown, the DeStefano administration has banned certain Web sites from workplace computers.

Access was already restricted to some sites, such as YouTube and GoogleVideo, according to city hall spokeswoman Jessica Mayorga. But the hammer really fell last Wednesday when the director of information technology installed a new firewall.

Now employees can no longer listen to streaming radio or watch videos, or visit certain gaming Web sites.

Mayorga said the firewall does not represent a new policy, just better enforcement of an existing one.

Some exceptions do apply, for example, the public information officer might need to watch a news clip from a local television station for work-related purposes.

If an employee does need to use a certain Web site for work, the IT department will make sure he or she is not blocked from doing so, Mayorga said.

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