Do not treat the Internet like a toilet
By Davey Winder in Editorial
Posted in Uncategorized on
According to a report in public sector news publication 24dash Neath Port Talbot Council in South Wales has sacked a member of staff and accepted the resignation of two others following an investigation into Internet usage at work. Nothing greatly surprising there, after all there have been plenty of media reports over the years of people being sacked for using work computers to access porn. But this was not about porn at all, this was about excessive Internet usage.
The local authority in question carried out an 18 month long investigation into the Internet habits of six workers who had been looking at travel and shopping sites during working hours. The head of strategic personnel, Graham Jones, said there had been reports of employees spending “significant periods of time” online for matters not related to their work. Although no details have been released as to exactly how long these staff members are meant to have spent surfing when they should have been working is unclear, although one assumes that if it were just a few hours it would have been dealt with by a verbal slapping. What is interesting here is that the council in question has an open door policy for Internet use, allowing staff to access all ‘non-offensive’ sites without question as long as it is in their own time.
Jones confirmed that all employees are asked to sign an Acceptable Usage Policy agreement to that effect.
What this case would seem to reiterate is the need for more than just a bit of paper, as I keep telling businesses large and small, over and over again. An AUP is not worth the paper it is written on unless it is backed up by staff education and understanding. There needs to be regular reminders of the AUP content, and staff need to be aware of why it is needed. What’s more, they also need to know that measures have been put in place to deal with anyone who falls foul of the AUP, and exactly what they are.
This case also highlights another problem, now that the Internet has become commoditised it is thought of in the same way as water and toilets at work. Staff do not expect to get in trouble if they drink a lot of water or need the loo a few times a day, they increasingly do not expect to get in trouble if they check up on Facebook or send off a few personal emails in work time either. It is all about balance, get it right and the workforce can have their Internet cake and eat it too. Getting it right is all about how that AUP is delivered…
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