Essentials of Business Communication 10th Edition by Dana Loewy,Mary Ellen Guffey

Exercise 33

Most employees today work with computers and have Internet access. They also carry smartphones and tablets to work. Should they be able to use their own devices or work computers for social media posting, online shopping, private messages, and personal work, as well as to listen to music and play games?
But It's Harmless
Office workers have discovered that it is far easier to shop online than to race to malls and wait in line. To justify her Web shopping at work, one employee, a recent graduate, said, "Instead of standing at the water cooler gossiping, I shop online." She went on to say, "I'm not sapping company resources by doing this." IM users say that what they are doing is similar to making personal phone calls. So long as they don't abuse the practice, they see no harm. One marketing director justified his occasional game playing and online shopping by explaining that his employer benefits because he is more productive when he takes minibreaks. "When I need a break, I pull up a Web page and just browse," he says. "Ten minutes later, I'm all refreshed, and I can go back to business-plan writing.
Companies Cracking Down
Employers, however, see it differently. One survey reported that more than one fourth of employers have fired workers for misusing e-mail, and nearly one third have fired employees for misusing the Internet. UPS discovered an employee running a personal business from his office computer. Lockheed Martin fired an employee who disabled its entire company network for six hours because of an e-mail heralding a holiday event that the worker sent to 60,000 employees. Companies not only worry about lost productivity, but they fear litigation, security breaches, and other electronic disasters from accidental or intentional misuse of computer systems.
What's Reasonable?
Some companies (e.g., Volkswagen and Porsche) impose a zero tolerance policy, prohibiting any personal use of company equipment. Ameritech Corporation tells employees that computers and other company equipment are to be used only for business purposes. Companies such as Boeing, however, have issued guidelines allowing some personal use of e-mail and the Internet. The company strictly prohibits chain letters, obscenity, and political and religious solicitation.
Career Application. As an administrative assistant at Lone Star Technologies in Austin, Texas, you have just received an e-mail from your boss asking for your opinion. Many employees have been accessing social media sites, shopping online, and using instant messaging. One person received four personal packages from UPS in one morning. Although reluctant to do so, management is considering installing monitoring software that not only tracks Internet use but also blocks social media, messaging, porn, hate, and game sites.
Your Task
• In teams or as a class, discuss the problem of workplace abuse of social media, e-mail, instant messaging, online shopping, and other Internet browsing. Should full personal use be allowed?
• Are computers and their Internet access similar to other equipment such as telephones?
• Should employees be allowed to access the Internet for personal use as long as they limit it to their own smart electronic devices?
• Should management be allowed to monitor all Internet use?
• Should employees be warned if Internet activities including e-mail are to be monitored?
• What reasons can you give to support an Internet crackdown by management?
• What reasons can you give to oppose a crackdown?
Decide whether you support or oppose the crackdown. Explain your views in an e-mail or a memo to your boss, James McKnight, at [e-mail].