Public Servant Lifestyle

The UK's human resources departments are being kept in the dark over the introduction of Internet and e-mail filtering technology to help reduce online misuse in the workplace.

An independent UK survey of IT and HR professionals by analysts FDTM (commissioned by Web and e-mail filtering company SurfControl) indicates that in only 15% of cases do IT managers actually consult their HR colleagues over proposed filtering measures. Furthermore, 92% of HR managers interviewed believed that the IT department that has the final say on whether filtering technology gets the go ahead or not.

Managers Unaware?

Compounding the situation, 55% of the UK's HR managers are unaware of the legal responsibility for employers to protect staff from Internet and e-mail based harassment. Only 10% of respondents feel that the burden is on both employer and employee to encourage and use online resources responsibly.

Given the close relationship between filtering technology and employment contracts, 'acceptable use' policies (AUPs) and general online culture at work, the findings are surprising:

"It is astounding to think that so few HR professionals are consulted about filtering technology when they will be the ones that need to sign off 'acceptable use' policies governing online use in the workplace," says SurfControl's Martino Corbelli.

"Either HR departments are not interested in getting involved in the process, or don't understand the employer responsibility to protect staff from the unsavoury aspects of unmanaged Internet and e-mail use.

"It's the classic case of one hand not knowing what the other one's doing. Things had better improve in 2004, or we'll continue to see this impractical divide between the people who are responsible for (employer) AUPs being sidelined when technology is implemented that is supposed to support the policy not override it."

Discrimination

Stephen Ollerenshaw of IT and outsourcing firm Technology Law Alliance agrees. "This is an issue that spans a number of areas; HR, legal and IT, and as a result things can often fall through the gaps," he says. "It is important, he adds, that employers:"...understand the legal risks of using email and the Internet because they are primarily responsible for the actions of their employees.

"If an employee engages in sexual or racial discrimination, or makes defamatory statements from an office system it is likely that the employer will have to meet any resulting liability. The proper use and application of AUPs supplemented by technical measures such as filtering software is a useful way of managing this risk."

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