Email Employees often have lapses in judgment when using the office email system. Rarely is it the case that the intent is malicious, but often the results are damaging to both morale and corporate image. The following are just a few recent examples of instances where a misused email system caused headaches, PR nightmares, and lawsuits.
- In July 2001 more than 60 Ontario Provincial Police officers and civilian staff with the Ontario Natural Resources are currently under investigation for allegedly exchanging pornography and racist jokes on the government computer network.
- E-mail chain letters crashed the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency?s computer network twice last fall. The First incident began on 2 October 2000, when one employee forwarded a message to 171 fellow employees. On the same day one of the recipients forwarded the same e-mail to 212 employees, then another recipient then forwarded the same e-mail to almost a thousand CCRA employees across Canada. The message turned out to be a hoax. The next incident, in November, involved an employee forwarding an e-mail to 68 employees that contained a program, that place a strain on the networked and crash a server for an entire day.
- Rolls Royce suspended 14 people and fired 5 who were caught sending porn around on the corporate network.
- In January 2001, UK insurance company Royal & Sun Alliance fired ten workers and suspended around seventy for forwarding inappropriate content including pornographic material via email. In November, Cable & Wireless dismissed six of its staff for email misuse.
- In July 1999, six Revenue Canada employees who were suspended after an internal audit caught them trading offensive material on the department's e-mail system.
- Chevron Oil Company settled an e-mail sexual harassment lawsuit for $2.2 million dollars. The suit was brought by a group of women employees that alleged a Chevron subsidiary allowed its internal email system to he used to transmit sexually offensive messages, including a "joke" sheet titled "25 reasons why beer is better than women."
Web The World Wide Web is aptly named as it entangles its users and eats up valuable productivity cycles. Evolving into an entertainment medium, the web had many enticing sites that distract surfers from their original tasks. From mild to wild, web site content can be as innocent as movie trailers or as inappropriate as pornography. The following are some recent instances where personal surfing caused serious problems for the organizations who owned the equipment.
- In July 2001 more than 60 Ontario Provincial Police officers and civilian staff with the Ontario Natural Resources are currently under investigation for allegedly exchanging pornography and racist jokes on the government computer network.
- E-mail chain letters crashed the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency?s computer network twice last fall. The First incident began on 2 October 2000, when one employee forwarded a message to 171 fellow employees. On the same day one of the recipients forwarded the same e-mail to 212 employees, then another recipient then forwarded the same e-mail to almost a thousand CCRA employees across Canada. The message turned out to be a hoax. The next incident, in November, involved an employee forwarding an e-mail to 68 employees that contained a program, that place a strain on the networked and crash a server for an entire day.
- Rolls Royce suspended 14 people and fired 5 who were caught sending porn around on the corporate network.
- In January 2001, UK insurance company Royal & Sun Alliance fired ten workers and suspended around seventy for forwarding inappropriate content including pornographic material via email. In November, Cable & Wireless dismissed six of its staff for email misuse.
- In July 1999, six Revenue Canada employees who were suspended after an internal audit caught them trading offensive material on the department's e-mail system.
- Chervon Oil Company settled an e-mail sexual harassment lawsuit for $2.2 million dollars. The suit was brought by a group of women employees that alleged a Chevron subsidiary allowed its internal email system to he used to transmit sexually offensive messages, including a "joke" sheet titled "25 reasons why beer is better than women."
In the news:
- Six children's aid workers fired over porn e-mails
- Workplace e-mail is not your own, Employers have legal right to snoop online
- Work users spend longer shopping online
- Nielsen NetRatings: Online shopping is half the job
- OPP under fire for `racist' e-mails
- Dear World: Loose Lips Sink More Than Ships
- A new addiction: on-line auctions
- CBC Finds civil servants with penchant for online sex
- New ways to goof off at work -- When the boss isn't looking, employees flock to Internet game sites
- Chevron pays 2.2 million in e-mail Sexual Harassment case
- E-mail Blamed for Wasted Work Time
- Manila to crack down on off-colour text messages
- Recording industry collects $1 million fine
Top