Employer and Employee Rights and Responsibilities in a Networked Office

摘要

Internet-connectivity is having a profound impact on the workplace. Employees use it to access data and information from global sources, communicate with others instantaneously regardless of physical proximity, work anytime, anywhere, so long as they have a digital device connected to the Internet. Alternatively, the technology can be used to subject coworkers to objectionable material, violate workersu27 privacy, and convey the appearance of working when actually abusing Internet resources. This article discusses the existing laws regarding employee usage of an employeru27s Internet resources and employer monitoring of that usage. Thus, it provides a foundation for understanding a body of law that is bound to evolve at an increasingly rapid rate and must be used by every organization to guide its employment and IT policies.