When you think of reasons why someone would get fired, what
comes to mind? Theft of company property? Having a bad attitude?
Unable to work with others? Extortion? I'll bet that these and
many other things pop into your head, but none of them come
close to the number one reason why employees find themselves
looking for a new job.
So what is the reason? Surfing the internet or using company
email for personal reasons, according to a recent article from
Reuters. Downloading pornography, frequenting online gambling
sites and sending unsuitable emails using the company email
system are the major reasons why an employee could find himself
escorted out the front door.
Why is there this attention on email and the internet? It's
simple really. Imagine some young man who surfs pornographic
sites during the day, and then imagine the consternation of
any female employees who happen to see him doing so. The
company could easily be successfully sued for sexual harassment
for this kind of thing. Since many companies have a zero
tolerance policy for sexual harassment, the young man could
find himself out of a job very quickly.
Now think about another employee who surfs racially extreme
sites, otherwise known as hate sites? There's another lawsuit
waiting to happen! That employee, if he gets caught, is likely
to be disciplined immediately. If he's caught again, he might
be fired.
Think you won't get caught? Perhaps you surf these types of
sites at night, when no one is around. Think again. Your
computer has a cache (a place to store files after they are
downloaded) which an be examined at will. There are also other
places which employers can examine, and it would be difficult
for you to clean them all up.
Perhaps you think you are safe because you've bought one of
those programs which cleans out your cache and hides your
track. Think again. Many employers are monitoring every
computer in the company. And guess what, most employment
contracts give employers the right to do this. Like it or not,
they can spy on your computer activities anytime they want.
What about private emails sent from and to company computer
systems? These can be opened and read at will by your employer,
no questions asked. So watch what you write in emails.
What's the bottom line? The best tactic is simply to do your
personal email and surfing at home. Why put your career and
your job in danger when it's just as easy to wait a short
time until you get out of the office?
About the Author
Richard Lowe Jr. is the webmaster of Internet Tips And Secrets
at http://www.internet-tips.net - Visit our website any time to
read over 1,000 complete FREE articles about how to improve your
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