Office computers used for porn, romance

MIAMI – America’s office-cubicle dwellers may be burning up the keyboards, but it’s not necessarily a paycheck they’re chasing.

Nearly one in four US workers with Internet access at work has used company computers to visit sexually explicit Web sites, participate in steamy chat rooms or swap romantic messages, according to a poll released on Tuesday by employment and labour law attorneys. Forty-three per cent of respondents said they believed sex-oriented online activities hurt work productivity, but 24 per cent said they had used a company computer in pursuit of sex or romance.”This poll sheds new light on the number of employees who are misusing workplace computers for romantic or sexual purposes,” said Charles Huddleston, co-chair of the employment law team at the Atlanta law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP.”It’s a significant issue for employers, considering how much productivity is lost and the difficulty involved with confronting the issue”.The poll of 826 employees was conducted January 30 through February 1 by Reed Haldy McIntosh & Associates of Media, Pennsylvania.It was commissioned by the Employment Law Alliance, a group of law firms specialising in labour and employment.Twelve per cent of respondents — and nearly twice as many men as women — said they used a company computer to access sexually explicit Web sites.Six per cent said they or a co-worker engaged in sexually explicit online chats or instant messaging at work, and 10 per cent said they or a colleague had used the office computer for online dating services.- Nampa-ReutersForty-three per cent of respondents said they believed sex-oriented online activities hurt work productivity, but 24 per cent said they had used a company computer in pursuit of sex or romance. “This poll sheds new light on the number of employees who are misusing workplace computers for romantic or sexual purposes,” said Charles Huddleston, co-chair of the employment law team at the Atlanta law firm Arnall Golden Gregory LLP. “It’s a significant issue for employers, considering how much productivity is lost and the difficulty involved with confronting the issue”. The poll of 826 employees was conducted January 30 through February 1 by Reed Haldy McIntosh & Associates of Media, Pennsylvania. It was commissioned by the Employment Law Alliance, a group of law firms specialising in labour and employment. Twelve per cent of respondents — and nearly twice as many men as women — said they used a company computer to access sexually explicit Web sites. Six per cent said they or a co-worker engaged in sexually explicit online chats or instant messaging at work, and 10 per cent said they or a colleague had used the office computer for online dating services. – Nampa-Reuters