Porn free - abusing Internet access

It was Arthur C who said that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Indeed, just a few short decades ago, many of us would have been gibbering in awe and wonder at some of the technologies we now regard as commonplace, and that includes the Internet.

Porn free! Or at least that's what employees might think as they while away the working day accessing Internet smut, courtesy of their employers...

418 million hits

In fact, Google the word "sex" and you'll get around 418 million hits. That's right. Just under half-a-billion. Refine your search and chuck in a few variables including, say, Paris Hilton and mud-wrestling, and you'll probably still get a good few hits.

But while the morality of this can be debated infinitely, the fact that an awful lot of these searches go on in the workplace can't be argued.

Some US studies have put the cost of surfing cyber-smut at billions of dollars per annum, in terms of lost productivity, with strangled bandwidth being a secondary effect - especially if videos such as Ibiza Nude Disco, Vol IV are being downloaded...

While no firm figures are available locally, Internet abuse is a rapidly growing problem in the South African workplace - and it occurs among even the most unlikely individuals.

Adroit use

Take for instance the large and matronly "lady" working for a local promotions and marketing agency - and legally we can't be more specific than that. Anyway, despite her senior age and late exposure to computers, this particular employee rapidly became an adroit Internet user. In fact, her enthusiasm was such that her employers equipped her with a 3G-enabled laptop, which she'd take home most evenings and weekends, to catch up on work, emails and to surf the Internet.

After a few months of this diligence, she complained that her laptop's performance was becoming noticeably sluggish. And as the company was far too small to have a dedicated IT department, the in-house PC expert agreed to have a look at it - which is now something he wishes he hadn't.

Instead of the expected harvest of viruses, much of the laptop's memory was clogged with video clips and pictures of the UK swinger's group to which the user subscribed. And not just any old swinger's group either - but one catering to senior citizens who were clearly determined to not let the likes of varicose veins, breasts hanging to hip level and arthritic joints impede their penchant for unmentionable acts...

Compromised relationship

When confronted with this, the "lady" in question was quite unrepentant - and pointed out that these cyber-shenanigans had taken place out of business hours. But either way, her formerly close and trusting relationship with her bosses had been severely compromised, and so she resigned.

Which leads us to the obvious question of how email and Internet abuse - now the number one reason in the UK for disciplinary action - can be clamped down?

Well, software that prevents the accessing and disseminating of anything vaguely undesirable is an idea, but not an overly practical one. And staff can obviously be warned that their Internet useage is being monitored, although this not only smacks of Big Brother, but is almost impossible to implement on an effective basis.

So the most effective method is to get employees to sign a comprehensive, clear Electronic Communication Policy, the violation of which can lead to disciplinary action or termination. It's equally important that this policy is explained, unambiguously, to employees, who need to understand that they are barred from accessing smutty sites, as well as storing or retrieving racially offensive jokes or cartoons, personal love letters and a host of other evils.

Strict implementation

Which is where industry-leader IRS (Industrial Relations Specialists) comes in, with its decade-long experience in matters precisely like this.

"As access to email and the Internet has become prolific in the South African white-collar workplace, so our clients have noticed a massive surge in abuse," confirms IRS founder Greville Howard. "And right now, as our experience shows, the only really effective way to curtail this is by implementing a strict, non-negotiable Electronic Communication Policy. Without one, you can be quite sure that somewhere in your organisation, your IT resources are going to be abused and man-hours are going to be wasted."