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My daily work load can usually be cleared in less than 8 hours, so in my "free" time I am doing some reading offline (from pdf files stored in my PC drive) which is not generally relevant to my job. Sometimes I am also writing which again is not related to my job. The only way I could get caught is if my employer had access to what I see on my screen. Is that allowed in the UK?

user47311
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    You're asking a purely legal question so I expect this will be closed. Have you spoken with your manager to indicate that you can take on more work? It seems very odd that your employer wants to pay you to do 8 hours of work but doesn't want to assign you 8 hours worth of tasks... – Justin Cave Feb 28 '16 at 00:36
  • I am sorry I wasn't aware of that rule, I edited my question. To answer your question, I don't want to ask for more work/responsibilities as I had been working really hard in the past but was disappointed by how my company valued my contribution - I had exceptional performance reviews for 2 consecutive years but saw no pay-rise or promotion. I am a research scientist and I like my job but there are not a lot of opportunities for moving elsewhere. – user47311 Feb 28 '16 at 02:30
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    Whether you want to ask for more or not, you are being paid to work for 8 hours a day, so you need to ensure you are working for 8 hours a day - you don't get to make the decision that your current workload, which may indeed be unusually light, is "it" as far as the work you are going to do. When you finish your work, you ask your boss what you should be doing next - you can make reasonable suggestions such as training or skill improvement, but you should not just take the time off to do as you see fit. –  Feb 28 '16 at 14:55
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    It is absolutely normal to have outstanding evals with no pay raise or promotion. I know people who have had those evals ten years in row or more without those things because there is no place for them to move up to and they are the top of their payscale. You are acting like a child in not asking for more work when you are finished. – HLGEM Feb 29 '16 at 15:29
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    See also this topic: http://workplace.stackexchange.com/questions/2644/what-can-i-do-at-work-when-i-have-no-work – Brandin Feb 29 '16 at 17:00

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Check your company's policy. Generally if it's their hardware and their network they can do whatever they want with them, and you have probably signed a document acknowledging this as a condition of employment.

If you don't want your employer to see it, do it on your own hardware, your own network account, and your own time. Period.

keshlam
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Is my employer (UK) allowed access to what I am looking on the screen of my PC?

Legality is off topic here and I don't know anyway, not being a lawyer.

But the crux of the matter is 'Can my employer see whats on my screen?'

Yes they can if they want, there is plenty of software they can install to do it with. However that's only if you're connected to the network, or online. You're reading and writing offline, so here is a very simple solution if you're a bit paranoid about it.

Unplug your computer from the network, if it's wirelessly connected, disable the wireless adaptor. Problem solved in a few seconds.

Kilisi
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  • yes they could, but the major concern is usually if there is internet or network abuse so it's not something that is normally checked and it's outside the question. If an employer is hell bent on finding something against an employee they will. – Kilisi Feb 28 '16 at 22:30