I was very pleased to read that the Macquarie Group broker who was filmed looking at near-nude photographs during a live interview will keep his job.
Macquarie issued a statement saying an internal review of the events of February 2 has been completed and that the employee will remain an employee. The statement also says, “Macquarie and the employee apologize for any offense that may have been caused.”
Regardless of the findings during the internal review I really do praise Macquarie Group for making this decision. Why? Well, this might seem like a bold statement but here goes:
In general, it is the employer’s fault when employees misuse the Internet or Email and NOT the other way around!
Having Acceptable Usage Policies doesn’t mean employers can wash their hands of the consequences that may arise when employees don’t stick to them.
Internet at Work = Dangerous Machinery at Work
The training and usage of internet at work should be as rigorous as the training, usage, continuous checks and risk assessment when operating dangerous machinery at work. In a sense it is the same thing. No, you won’t accidentally lose a finger if it gets stuck in the keyboard, but there is a real danger of losing your job, embarrassment, identify theft, developing internet addiction (suffered by between 5% and 10% of Web surfers) and heavy fines (or even jail) if downloading illegal or copyrighted material.
The Internet is an absolute necessity as well as an occupational hazard. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again – No employee should be fired for misusing the internet. Hiring and firing should be based on if you have a good or bad employee. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure Acceptable Internet Usage Policies are put in place AND adhered to. If clear rules are communicated and monitored no one should have to be sued or fired.
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