TERMINATION

 

Employees who abuse internet privileges have become a major concern among today’s corporations. Many employees participating in internet misuse can be left jobless and possibly facing litigation.

According to a survey of human resource directors:

 

·         Approximately 70% of companies provide Internet access to more than half of their employees and recent statistics  have shown that employee Internet abuse is on the rise.

 

Another Survey conducted by Websense Inc. showed:

·         Nearly 2 out of 3 companies nationwide have disciplined and nearly 1 out of 3 have terminated employees for Internet misuse in the workplace.

HOWEVER some people feel differently:

"Misuse of the Internet at work should never get to the point of termination," said John Carrington, CEO and chairman of Websense. "Companies need to start managing their Internet traffic and enforcing the Internet usage policies they already have in place."

Some people believe it’s the responsibility of the organization to monitor internet usage, and that termination because of internet misuse is wrong and that employees are not to blame.

 

What do you think? Is it wrong to blame employees for misuse? Or should employees be accountable for their actions?

Source: http://investor.websense.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=286249

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Lost productivity

Internet usage at work has become extremely distracting for everyone. The internet gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. Many people get easily sidetracked, and results in wasting time. Wasting time can affect everyone, primarily the company you work for because they suffer by paying an employee who is unproductive and useless. Your costing the company money that could be spent elsewhere to benefit the organization.

A recent study showed how employees use the internet while on company hours:

• 45% send personal e-mail
• 33% read the daily news
• 31% gather local information
• 31% investigate travel arrangements
• 24% visit sites related to hobbies
• 24% participate in contests and sweepstakes.
• The discount travel site expedia.com receives 47% of its traffic during the workday

“Internet misuse is a growing problem that is costing Canadian companies over $16 billion annually in lost productivity”.

Employees with Internet access spend an excess amount of time using internet while at work, this phenomenon has become so widespread that it has been given a name: CYBERSLACKING!

The video below shows examples of Cyberslacking:

 

Internet usage in the workforce should only be used for work purposes !

 

Source: http://www.bajai.com/whitepapers/InternetMisuse.html

Internet use in the workforce

The internet has become the most common form of communication. The use of internet can be found in almost every workplace, because of the effective and efficient communication channel it offers. As technology advances, people’s curiosity have become more drawn into the internet. With all the different means of communication offered it has truly enhanced the business communication world. The internet has made communicating abroad and residentially easy and convenient for everyone. The internet has opened the doors for communication. Although the internet has greatly benefited the business world, it has also exposed the communication world to a danger zone.     

Listed below are some Canadian Internet usage statistics:

·         27.4 million Canadians are online (that is 80% of the population!)

·         17.2 hours are spent on the internet a week

Since the internet has become a necessity in the workplace, it's unrealistic to revoke total internet access.

 

Source: http://www.6smarketing.com/infographic-canadian-internet-usage-statistics/

Source: http://www.bajai.com/whitepapers/InternetMisuse.html

Litigation

Definition: The act or process of litigating a matter that is still in litigation, known as a lawsuit.

All misuses of internet while on company time can lead to lawsuits. Anything that is not considered work related that employees chose to participate in is considered unethical. Anything and everything an employee chooses to do on a company’s database will reflect directly on that organization.

“The Canadian Labour Code establishes an employee’s right to a work environment free of harassment. Furthermore, it requires employers to take positive action to prevent harassment in the workplace “.

A recent study showed:

·         27% of Fortune 500 companies have defended themselves against claims of sexual harassment stemming from inappropriate e-mail and/or Internet use.

Lawsuits often times leaves a company’s image permanently damaged.

The internet has become a danger zone for both employees and employers.

 

Source: http://www.bajai.com/whitepapers/InternetMisuse.html

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/litigation?s=t&path=/

 

Monitoring internet usage at work

More and more employers are starting to monitor internet use during company hours. Some may consider this an invasion of privacy. However companies aren’t willing to risk the misuse of internet, and in return they are avoiding possible conflicts that could occur.

Monitoring employees internet access gives business’s the reassurance they need.

Companies are starting to use programs like Spyware to monitor all activities through the network connection. The most common form of monitoring is done through the systems administrators’ computer allowing company’s remote access to any employee’s computer.

The topic of monitoring internet access in the workplace has become very controversial. Most employers are questioning whether it is ethical or not.

The video below is a prime example of internet monitoring, and how easy it is to lose your job.

 

Should internet monitoring be allowed? What are your thoughts?

 

http://www.wisegeek.org/how-do-employers-monitor-internet-usage-at-work.htm

Downloads and Spam

Illegal downloads and other peer to peer activities are now beginning to be addressed through a computer usage policy.

“Work Peer-to-Peer technologies can be used to download illegal files, including copyright protected material which is punishable under various federal laws”.

Under no circumstances should anyone be downloading, or opening unknown files on the company’s database. This is extremely dangerous and thus how viruses spread, which could potentially shut down the company’s database for good. By participating in such actions one could unknowingly inherit malicious programs.

Computer usage policies should not be taken lightly; undermining such regulations could cost you your job.

 

Source: http://biz30.timedoctor.com/why-you-need-an-internet-computer-usage-policy/