Human Resource Blog

Idaho Internet Gambling and Porn

As an

Idaho employer, should I be concerned about gambling and pornography on our work computers?

The employee who spends half his workday gambling on one of your computers is not productive. The worker who surfs to a triple-X site and whose computer screen is seen by other employees may be creating a “hostile work environment” or engaging in what could be considered sexual discrimination.

So the answer is yes. When workers use company computers on the firm’s time to access pornography or to gamble, problems arise, whether it is in Idaho or any place else in the nation.

You may wish to address the performance issue if you cannot prove who was using the computer to play poker all day.

Your firm should also take a hard look at the dangers of inadvertently creating a “hostile work environment.” One worker may surf regularly to porn sites. Another worker may be exposed to that employee’s computer on a regular basis. Or the colleague may need to use that computer occasionally. Depending on the content, a case of sexual discrimination may be involved. Don’t forget as well that an employee need not file a complaint with the EEOC immediately. He or she may wait for six months before deciding the content is offensive and creates a hostile work environment. The complainant need not be a member of the protected group, either.

More men than women admit to using company computers on company time to access pornography. According to the recent MSN-Zogby survey, 6% of workers admit to the behavior. And 10% of men admit surfing for porn, while 1% of women do.

The survey also shows workers admit to taking personal calls in meetings. They look for new employment online and pay their personal bills on company time also.

Keep in mind that the productivity benefits of using the Internet at work offsets the lost productivity considerably. It’s much like the advent of the telephone in the workplace. Employers originally worried that workers would spend all day on the phone making personal calls. Time has shown that the uses of the telephone far outweighed the costs of the occasional private call on company time. JH