The survey was conducted among 544 human resource (HR) managers and officers of Britain’s largest corporations, employing an average of 2,500 people. It has found that 72% of UK firms have dealt with internet misuse in the workplace. In addition, 69% of all dismissals were associated with on-line pornography.
Web chat rooms (26%) and personal e-mail browsing (23%) were the second and the third most frequent complaints. Also, 40% of HR departments have received complaints by co-workers unhappy with their colleagues wasting time on the internet.
According to the survey, HR managers and officers believe that 20 minutes a day for personal internet surfing is a fair and acceptable amount of time in today’s work environment, in which the internet is an integral part. The average time employees spend doing personal surfing is closer to 30 minutes a day.
Most of the managers involved in the survey prefer to deal with internet misuse by “having a word” with the person in question or by a verbal warning. Nearly 23% resort to dismissing the employee.
Internet misuse can cost a lot to employers. According to a study in 2001 by IDS Brief, the costs of replacing key staff could be as much as 150% of the employee’s annual salary. The cost can be even higher if the organisation has to face Employment Tribunal Proceedings, the report says.
In order to address the problem, many companies are using content filter software. Geoff Haggart, vice president at Websense said: “Companies are increasingly looking to protect themselves and their employees from the legal implications from viewing pornography or downloading illegal software.”
A free internet and e-mail policy is available from OUT-LAW.COM which can be downloaded and amended to suit your business. You can get it here.