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eDisaster Story of the Week
April 6, 2001
CyberSlackers Cost Business Millions of Dollars and Countless Hours
How big a problem is recreational Internet surfing on the job? Enormous!
Firefighters in Columbus, Ohio, triggered an internal investigation, media sensation, and public uproar when a routine scan of on-the-job Internet surfing revealed fire division headquarters' staff were visiting as many as 8,000 pornographic sites a day.
In 1999, Xerox fired more than 40 employees for idling away up to 8 hours a day on porno sites. The downloading of porn was so pervasive, it actually choked Xerox's computer network and prevented employees from sending and receiving legitimate e-mail.
When the Starr Report was released online in 1999, some 13.5 million workers slacked off and logged on to see what the President, Monica Lewinsky, and Ken Starr had to say. That CyberSlacking incident is estimated to have cost US business $500 million in lost productivity.
Do you know what your employees are doing online when you're not looking?
The ePolicy Institute advises all employers, regardless of organization size or industry, to develop and implement a written Internet Policy that addresses recreational surfing, banned sites, and other eLiability issues. Give employees clear rules to work by. Notify employees of your right to monitor Internet traffic. Spell out exactly what type of online language and content is permitted. Enforce your Internet Policy consistently.
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