If it?s a standard of corporate policy ? said company can implement discipline according to their guidelines and discretion. Most ?Internet Usage? policies are structured by Human Resources protecting the corporate entity from sexual harassment issues. Factors such as bandwidth, time usage, ownership, sexual content, political, racial or various other inflammatory content underpinnings are detailed aspects of one general concept = wasting company time = wasting company money = using company resources to conduct personal recreation and or non-work related business.
Furthering the issue are factors involving inappropriate use of company resources ranging from actual illegal activity to simply wasting company time on non-work related endeavors. The range of what is considered ?illegal? and inappropriate is not at all a ?Relative? issue as some might argue. This doesn?t have to be a matter of what is factually legal in your country/state/city/town etc. The crux of what the issue comes down to is whether the issue of concern is appropriately addressed and documented by said company and viewed, agreed to and signed by said employee.
It doesn?t matter if some freak in HR states in company policy that simply viewing a web page showing Disney characters is considered against company regulation and will result in termination. If you read the policy, and agree by signing that you?ve read the policy and then go surf and view Disney characters = you?re liable for termination of employment. It doesn?t matter if viewing the Disney characters is non-sexual, non-political, non-racial, non-inflammatory, non-anything. It?s in the company policy. You?ve waived your right to employment.
Read your company policy. If it?s addressed ? even in vague, non-descriptive terms, you?re liable. The extent to which you can be prosecuted is determined by the accuracy and detail of the policy.
Bottom Line Layman?s terms = It?s not yours. If you don?t like it, you don?t have to show up. If you don?t recall your particular company policy, you?re better off taking time to look it up and understand it rather than take your chances and be surprised when you?re walked out the door.
I?m a System?s Administrator who enforces policy at the request of our Human Resources department. However, I go out of my way to ?NOT? be Big Brother. It makes for a paranoid working environment and frankly, it?s a waste of my time babysitting corporate policy. But, I also understand productivity issues, appropriate use of resource, and my particular company policy (in part because I?ve helped write it).
Hmm, now that I think about it ? taking the time to write this and post it in a non-technical community forum during company hours could potentially waive ?MY? right to employment!!!!! Uh, except for that part of my Job Description that describes (in vague terms) participating in forum and newsgroup discussions to further technology awareness and maintain a current and relevant pulse on IT in regard to my department and overall job function.
Which, of course I full well believe I am doing. Just ask me!
**Then there was that time that nightly network backup's started failing due to lack of media space - At the time, our policy didn't specifically address the issue of a user dropping nearly 6 GB's of mp3's on to the network. We didn't fire him, just informed him of the new appropriate use of company resource policy (and began learning about disk quotas and forced space limitation). He became a non-issue.
I think it's worthwhile to give everyone a chance to screw up twice. But when it starts costing money, and policy is dictated - it's best to be a good little doggy and do what's right.
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