P45s for porn surfers at work

The report, which surveyed more than 500 Human Resource managers in the UK, found that a quarter of UK companies have dismissed employees for Internet misconduct, with the majority of sackings for online porn, according to a survey from Websense International Ltd., - and Personnel Today magazine.

The survey - conducted among 544 human resources (HR) managers and officers from some of Britain''s largest corporations, employing an average of 2,500 people - found that 72 percent of UK firms have dealt with Internet misuse in the workplace. In addition, 69 percent of all dismissals were associated with online pornography.

After pornography, web chat rooms (26 percent) and personal email browsing (23 percent) were the second and third most-frequent complaints brought to the attention of the HR department, respectively. Forty percent of all complaints were brought to HR attention by co-workers unhappy with their colleagues wasting time on the Internet.

Dismissals for Internet porn covered up
While Internet misuse within British companies is a common problem, it is an issue rarely discussed publicly. According to the survey, HR managers get involved with an average of one complaint per month, yet most prefer to deal with the problem by having a quiet word with the person in question (56 percent), followed by a verbal warning (29 percent). Nearly a quarter (23 percent) resort to dismissing the employee.

Internet misconduct - a high price to pay
Dismissing an employee for Internet misuse is a substantial cost to the employer, said Jonathan Naylor, barrister in the Employment, Pensions and Benefits Group of Morgan Cole Law Firm. While there are the obvious costs of advertising for new hires, recruitment, training and supervision, there are also additional financial burdens caused by the interruption to work patterns, the damage to morale and the negative publicity to the organisation as a result of the dismissal.

A study in 2001 by IDS Brief found that the costs of replacing key staff could be as much as 150 percent of the employee''s annual salary. In addition, if the dismissal process is handled poorly by the employer, the organisation could also face Employment Tribunal proceedings, incurring further management time and costs. Faced with the monetary troubles caused by Internet misuse and employee dismissals, many companies are using employee Internet management (EIM) software as a way to automatically enforce its existing Internet access policy.

Companies are increasingly looking to protect themselves and their employees from the legal implications from viewing pornography or downloading illegal software, said Geoff Haggart, vice president at Websense. EIM software supports an organisation''s efforts to improve employee productivity, conserve network bandwidth and save storage costs.

It also automates management of the Internet and provides flexibility that enables employees to access acceptable content at appropriate times, such as their lunch hours.

This survey shows it is not enough for employers to have a policy on Internet abuse. If companies want to stop staff from downloading pornography or other offensive material they have to make sure they communicate their policy clearly and regularly, said Noel O''Reilly - Personnel Today Magazine.

Twenty minutes a day - an acceptable time for surfing
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, particularly in today''s work environment in which the Internet is an integral part.

However, respondents also noted that they believe the average time employees spend doing personal surfing is actually closer to 30 minutes a day.

Behind closed doors and you''re more likely to surf
People with their own offices may be the worst offenders at abusing their Internet privileges, according to fifty seven percent of HR personnel, who believe more personal surfing gets done behind closed doors.