Inside the latest issue... theHRDIRECTOR Issue 69
This issue we speak to
James Dalgleish
Head of HR - London Fire Brigade

Faceoff for Facebook

Faceoff for Facebook

Recession battered employers are being urged to crack down on the devastating impact to staff productivity of internet misuse at work. Law firm Mace & Jones made its remarks after teenage office worker Kimberley Swann was sacked last week from her job as an office administrator in Essex after branding it "boring" on Facebook. The firms employment law partner Mark Hatfield said the case came as "no surprise" and advised that many employers are taking  a firm line on the internet considering  it  a "silent time killer" of epidemic proportions.

"Employers are not prepared to tolerate misuse of the internet generally but especially in the current climate," said employment law partner Mark Hatfield. "With businesses struggling and redundancies rife every job and every hour counts. Staff who idle away on the internet are wasting valuable time which should be being deployed to maintain company efficiency and productivity. To enforce proper IT use, it is critical staff are told exactly what the company internet policy is so no-one is in any doubt about its importance and what the punishments are".

Mr Hatfield said the problem is not isolated to junior staff and reported he has advised one firm on disciplining a senior member of staff who was misusing the internet by playing online computer games. "Staff can be allowed time during breaks to surf the net and send emails to friends," he said. "But employers need to ensure staff members are not sharing sensitive or embarrassing company information, as happened with the case in Essex on the internet.  It is worth noting, for example, that Facebook has privacy settings which people should be made aware of. But Facebook seems especially damaging to productivity because it encourages people, who work together or nearby, to start communicating with each other instead of getting on with the job." Mr Hatfield further urged employers to take a firm line on email misuse to avoid potential discrimination and other liabilities.

"Many round robin emails are circulating which are highly offensive," he said. "Circulating them via email within the office and to friends and associates outside the office could cause severe embarrassment for the organisation. There have already been a number of high profile cases. Again the best course of action is to make it clear what the company rules are in a written policy." Many major employers have taken a tough line on the internet including Lloyds TSB, Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse which have all banned Facebook. The Daily Telegraph has reported that 1.8m Britons using the site at least once a month.