Survey: Porn Found Often on Work Computers
By JUSTIN BACHMAN
Associated Press — Many of us apparently forget that our office computer belongs to the boss – along with all the Internet material you may load onto it.
Two-thirds of human resources professionals said in a survey they’ve discovered pornography on employee computers. Nearly half of those, 43 percent, said they had found such material more than once.
The poll points to a common employer dilemma: the need to balance employee privacy with electronic monitoring of computer content, according to Alexandra Gross, legal editor for Business & Legal Reports, a publisher based in Old Saybrook, Conn.
“One of the most important things employers can do to protect themselves from privacy suits is to reduce employees’ expectations of privacy in the first place,” she said. “The best way to do that is to articulate a clear policy on electronic monitoring and computer use.”
Companies also must be very clear that e-mail and Internet access are the employer’s property – and recreational Web browsing should be left at home.
The online poll was conducted by the two sites earlier this month. It drew responses from 474 people.
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