In my last column I outlined some of the pitfalls that new technology has bred in the workplace, particularly e-mailing for non-company business and indiscriminate browsing of the Internet. Nearly half of the employees who responded to a recent survey said that they had engaged in unethical actions related to technology in the past year, including creating dangerous situations by driving while using technology, wrongly blaming a personal error on a technology glitch, or copying company software for home use. These statistics simply underscore the findings of another study showing that the majority of bids on electronic auction sites like Ebay occur during working hours as do visits to pornographic web sites.

That's the nature of the problem facing today's managers. Rather than putting their heads in the sand hoping the problems will go away, they had better begin to face reality. New technology is here to stay. How dominant is it? Consider the fact that millions of Americans communicate electronically and most of all employees use at least five types of technology on their job. Because of the many legal, ethical and personal risks involved, let's look at a few specific areas for potential abuse that a company's policy manual should address.

Managing E-mail
Most employees know how to send and receive e-mail but they may not be aware of the rules of etiquette that apply or the procedures that make sending or receiving e-mail in the workplace different than at home. Several companies have been cited for creating a hostile work environment by allowing hostile or sexually explicit e-mail to be transmitted. In addition, e-mail could be evidence in a potential lawsuit and if requested, may not be destroyed. In many cases, deleting e-mail may not work anyway because most e-mail is recoverable. E-mail sent from a company site is a business document and employees should consider it the same as writing a letter using the company letterhead - a professional document that represents the company and its values. Finally, employees should be advised that non-company related e-mail can clog the system, cause disruptions and lower employee productivity.

Managing Internet
Access Managers should remind employees that casual browsing of the Internet can be monitored and employers can pull up a record showing where and when an individual visited a particular site. While this issue has caused some concern about employee privacy, the more important issue is protecting the integrity of the company. If employees are browsing the web on company computers, they leave a trail identifying the address of the visitor. Another important reason to curb unrestricted use of technology is that if employees download information or material from the Internet, they might introduce viruses into the company system that could destroy important data.

Privacy and Confidentiality
This double-edged sword is a very sensitive issue, one that policy manuals must address. The debate centers on an employee's right to privacy versus an employer's right to control the use of company property. The balance today has shifted in favor of the employer who has more to protect and more to lose when policies are violated. The company may, however, choose to guarantee against unauthorized people having access to an employee's personal records.

As for a company's confidential material, its policies should insure that access to certain information is restricted by way of passwords, encryption or segregation of information on specific servers or systems. Employees should be alerted to the risk of inadvertently transmitting sensitive company information, especially when traveling with laptops that may be susceptible to theft.

Software and Copyright Restrictions
Employees should be instructed in the laws regarding software and copyright restrictions, including such matters as copying software licensed to the company, loading personal software on company equipment, duplicating printed material, and understanding the legal restrictions on software labeled "public domain", "freeware", "shareware" and the like. These are complex issues that can present liabilities for the company.

These few paragraphs barely scratch the surface of how new technology can lead employees astray. Suffice to say, however, while the environment is new, some of the old rules still apply. Companies need a clear and comprehensive policy that applies equally throughout the organization, guided by common sense -- still the best guide when creating guidelines that govern employee behavior.

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