Employer and Employee Rights and Responsibilities in a Networked Office

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 workers’ privacy, and convey the appearance of working when actually abusing Internet resources. This article discusses the existing laws regarding employee usage of an employer’s 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. The Internet may not be fueling a revolution in the marketplace, but it is certainly fueling an evolution in the workplace. More and more organizations are discovering the power of networked computers and connecting employees to each other and to the Internet. In this connected work environment, employees can: • access data and information from around the world; • communicate instantaneously with each other regardless of physical proximity; and • work anytime, anywhere, as long as they have a digital device that connects to the network.