By Richard Lowe
Article Date: 2003-10-25

When you think of reasons why someone would get fired, what comes to mind? Theft of company property? Having a bad attitude? Unable to work with others? Extortion? I'll bet that these and many other things pop into your head, but none of them come close to the number one reason why employees find themselves looking for a new job.

So what is the reason? Surfing the internet or using company email for personal reasons, according to a recent article from Reuters. Downloading pornography, frequenting online gambling sites and sending unsuitable emails using the company email system are the major reasons why an employee could find himself escorted out the front door.

Why is there this attention on email and the internet? It's simple really. Imagine some young man who surfs pornographic sites during the day, and then imagine the consternation of any female employees who happen to see him doing so. The company could easily be successfully sued for sexual harassment for this kind of thing. Since many companies have a zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment, the young man could find himself out of a job very quickly.

Now think about another employee who surfs racially extreme sites, otherwise known as hate sites? There's another lawsuit waiting to happen! That employee, if he gets caught, is likely to be disciplined immediately. If he's caught again, he might be fired.

Think you won't get caught? Perhaps you surf these types of sites at night, when no one is around. Think again. Your computer has a cache (a place to store files after they are downloaded) which an be examined at will. There are also other places which employers can examine, and it would be difficult for you to clean them all up.

Perhaps you think you are safe because you've bought one of those programs which cleans out your cache and hides your track. Think again. Many employers are monitoring every computer in the company. And guess what, most employment contracts give employers the right to do this. Like it or not, they can spy on your computer activities anytime they want. What about private emails sent from and to company computer systems? These can be opened and read at will by your employer, no questions asked. So watch what you write in emails.

What's the bottom line? The best tactic is simply to do your personal email and surfing at home. Why put your career and your job in danger when it's just as easy to wait a short time until you get out of the office?

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