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 26 July 2008
Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS)
 
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Inappropriate Usage - Definition

A June 2002 survey found that more disciplinary action was taken against staff for e-mail and Internet abuse than for any other offence.

The survey was completed by Klegal International and Personnel Magazine, and highlights both the scale and growth of this problem.

Check this section to find out about:

What is Inappropriate Usage?

Inappropriate usage can cover a wide range of activities. At one end of the scale:

  • Employees shopping online during work hours

At the other end of the scale:

  • Criminal activity, such as selling secret corporate information

The of the most obvious forms of inappropriate use is the viewing, downloading or distribution of pornographic material. A number of high profile incidents have proved severely embarrassing for household name companies, but it is a risk for any company, irrespective of size.

Inappropriate use is not just about embarrassment. Other effects include:

  • Loss of productivity
  • Reduction (or loss) of network bandwidth
  • Increased risk of virus infection and other malicious code
  • Increased risk of liability and legal action

 

 To minimise the risk of inappropriate use, it is essential to provide clarification of what is and is not acceptable use within your organisation. What is and is not deemed inappropriate use will vary from one organisation to another, particularly for activities at the lower end of the scale. The key is to ensure that a clear policy is defined for your company, and that everybody is aware of it.

The following points discuss behaviours that could be considered inappropriate.

Personal e-mail

Many companies allow staff to use company e-mail systems for 'reasonable' personal use. The only yardstick that you can use to measure 'reasonableness' is common sense.

Such an approach is difficult to police consistently, for example:

  1. Employee receives a joke via an external e-mail from a friend
  2. Employee forwards the joke to a colleague via internal e-mail
  3. That employee forwards the joke to an internal distribution list
  4. Another employee forwards the joke to a friend externally
  5. The joke is sexist/racist

Your company could be held liable for any offence caused by the joke.

Deliberate Disclosure of Sensitive information

The following scenarios are examples of serious, deliberate abuse of e-mail:

  • Sending of sensitive data out of the organisation
  • Private use or disclosure of customer lists
  • Disclosure of price lists

These examples are not exclusive to e-mail (anyone can carry printed copies of a price list in their briefcase). But e-mail certainly makes it easier, potentially less traceable, and allows distribution of huge volumes very quickly.

Inadvertent Misuse

Most occurrences of inappropriate use are inadvertent, and often happen because people are trying to be helpful. For example:

  • Sending company documents to a home e-mail account for work at home
  • Sending company documents back to the office from home
  • Sending large files
  • CC-ing to excess

The first two points can expose company information to risks that are unlikely to happen in the workplace. Family members might see confidential information - few homes have the same physical security controls as offices.

The last two points are simple errors that can make e-mail less efficient, and at worst, grind an entire enterprise to a halt.Other activities may not be seen as obvious misuse, but can cause considerable loss in terms of resources and time. For example:

  • 'For sale' adverts
  • "Who is coming to the pub after work?"
  • Using e-mail rather than face-to-face or telephone conversations
  • Sending e-mails to the next desk
  • Poor housekeeping, such as not deleting old/unneeded messages

 

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