The Internet and the Workplace The Internet has become a pervasive presence in the American workplace. According to a sample of 500 companies surveyed by IntelliQuest Corporation, two-thirds of employees at medium-sized and large companies in the United States now have access to the Internet, up from 15 percent just two years ago. (IntelliQuest) Workers with Web access typically spend five to ten hours a week sending personal emails or searching for information not specifically related to their work. Popular entertainment sites, such as ESPN's Sport Zone, where visitors can check sports scores, and POGO where they can play games, sustain heavy traffic during the workday. With everything from CDs to cars for sale on the Web, some employees are spending even more time shopping online. The Internet offers many new opportunities for businesses. Businesses that use the Internet can reduce operating costs because human tasks can be automated, data can be transferred more efficiently, and the company needs less space and inventory. Additionally, companies using the Internet can monitor the competition, quickly retrieve information, and facilitate communication with employees and customers. Creating a site on the World Wide Web allows businesses to operate on a larger scale and easily expand product lines. However, in addition to using the Internet, in particular the World Wide Web and e-mail for work purposes, employees also use the Internet for personal use, for example to send personal e-mail messages, play games, download pornography, order goods online, check stock prices or gamble. As a result, many issues have emerged affecting employee email and Internet use. Em... half of the paper... any. I think this should be seen as an invasion of privacy. If the company believes that the employee violated his or her employment rights by posting untrue information about the company, each case should be considered individually. If the employer believes that slander has occurred, it takes the offender to court. Don't violate everyone else's civil rights because of a grievance. Bibliography IntelliQuest Information Group, Inc., Latest IntelliQuest Survey Reports 62 Million American Adults Access the Internet and Online Services (February 5, 1998) http://www.intelliquest.com/about/release41.htmJames A. Martin, You Are Being Watched, PC World, November 1997, Adam J. Conti and James W. Wimberly, The Developing Law of Cyberspace (January 1996) Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Technology Raises Legal Questions, Visions (May/June 1996 ) (visited in May 8, 1998)