porn issues

Lynfo

Hi all, one of the guys i work with is off today, and one of my jobs is to check people aren't going crazy on the net all day - when i checked his pc today i noticed that he spent practically all day friday looking at porn. the sites i went into really turned my stomach, they were real hardcore sh*t and not just one site either.
what do people think of watching porn videos in work?
the way i see it is that he can do whatever the hell he wants in his spare time, but to watch that kind of sh*t while there are people walking around him oblivious, is a bit much?

ApeXaviour

Lynfo wrote:

Hi all, one of the guys i work with is off today, and one of my jobs is to check people aren't going crazy on the net all day - when i checked his pc today i noticed that he spent practically all day friday looking at porn. the sites i went into really turned my stomach, they were real hardcore sh*t and not just one site either.

What to one person is idle scribblings of disjointed limbs, to another is picasso. I personally find tomatoes repulsive, many of my friends find them wonderful. I do not villify them for it.

Lynfo wrote:

what do people think of watching porn videos in work?
the way i see it is that he can do whatever the hell he wants in his spare time, but to watch that kind of sh*t while there are people walking around him oblivious, is a bit much?

It's a little inappropriate but not amazingly bad. Hardly much worse than if he was wasting his time any other way. Unless of course he was flaunting it infront children, which I doubt he was.

Ciaran500

Well I assume its against company policy so should be reported to who ever is in charge.

r3nu4l

Yes, it comes down to company policy on computer use really. What happens to you if you don't report it and someone else finds out what he's up to?

Do you have the authority to have a friendly word in his ear? Is there any way you can send an email company wide reminding employees that it is against company policy to look at pornography while at work?

If you have to report it but feel uncomfortable naming him, maybe suggest to your bosses that since you have found employees browsing porn an email reminder about acceptable use and mentioning pornography in particular would be warranted and that if it continues then the company would at least be covered by the reminder they had sent out if they wished to take action.

Agamemnon

This guy's definitely taking it too far if he's watching it all day. I wouldn't watch porn at work cos I'm in a big open-plan office and I just know someone would see me. I download it and put it on my video mp3 player instead. Then I can watch it anywhere at anytime.

Dyr

Isnt there some european directive about monitoring users without their knowledge/consent?

Gurgle

Lynfo wrote:

and one of my jobs is to check people aren't going crazy on the net all day

Sorry, whats the question?
Should you do your job?

Well yes, thats why they keep putting money in your bank account.
Report him.

BlackWizard

Dont report him!! You're just being a prat if you do.

Warn him about it and remind him what your job is. If he is your friend he will
stop. If he is not your friend , he should still stop. Give him the warning first
before you get the chap sacked.

Ruu_Old

Moved from AH, mods if its in the wrong place, chuck it back in my direction. Thanks.

Lump

Sack him....

mr_disc

Firstly you would want to make sure that it was actually him that was on the porn sites, even if he is using the Pc it may be a case that someone else is looking at it on his Pc... be it when he aint around or whatever.

It seems a bit odd that in a workplace this day in age that he ( or whoever ) was able to get onto those sites, in as much as the technology is out there to stop those sites ( Firewall etc ). Chances are , going by how u described what you found, that there are now viruses on the Pc as alot of these sites easily infect pcs, and if you have a network in your office they will spread.

i wouldnt report him till u had a word with him, just do it tactfully and u should have no worries.
He must be fairly or fairky stupid if he knows that the Pcs are monitored and yet carries on.

daiixi

mr_disc wrote:

Firstly you would want to make sure that it was actually him that was on the porn sites, even if he is using the Pc it may be a case that someone else is looking at it on his Pc... be it when he aint around or whatever.

It seems a bit odd that in a workplace this day in age that he ( or whoever ) was able to get onto those sites, in as much as the technology is out there to stop those sites ( Firewall etc ). Chances are , going by how u described what you found, that there are now viruses on the Pc as alot of these sites easily infect pcs, and if you have a network in your office they will spread.

i wouldnt report him till u had a word with him, just do it tactfully and u should have no worries.
He must be fairly or fairky stupid if he knows that the Pcs are monitored and yet carries on.

I agree with most of this post. My problem would be that he was getting paid to watch porn. If he wants to get paid to watch porn he should get himself a job in an adult store. Hardly fair on everyone else who was working.

Aoife-FM104

It's a tricky one!

As others have said, if it's against your company policy then it's a problem.

Personally, I would do the "send around a company wide e-mail" trick warning about looking at porn.

I know this might sound silly of me, but firing someone for looking at porn could seriously affect their future. Best to warn them.

I agree that one persons cup of tea is another persons poison. If the "hardcore" you are referring to is people having sex, ask yourself why this bothers you so much, assuming you've probably had "hardcore" sex yourself as well... Is doing it and watching it really that different?

mr_disc

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

If the "hardcore" you are referring to is people having sex, ask yourself why this bothers you so much, assuming you've probably had "hardcore" sex yourself as well... Is doing it and watching it really that different?

Ha good one

leeroybrown

BlackWizard wrote:

Warn him about it and remind him what your job is. If he is your friend he will
stop. If he is not your friend , he should still stop. Give him the warning first
before you get the chap sacked.

My question would be is this decision at the OP's discretion. If the OP choses to warn the offending employee without going to management then it could come back on them later. As far as management are concerned the OP's duty might be to inform them straight away.

mr_disc wrote:

Firstly you would want to make sure that it was actually him that was on the porn sites, even if he is using the Pc it may be a case that someone else is looking at it on his Pc... be it when he aint around or whatever.

I know someone this happened to and it made life a little awkward for them until the situation was cleared up.

mr_disc wrote:

It seems a bit odd that in a workplace this day in age that he ( or whoever ) was able to get onto those sites, in as much as the technology is out there to stop those sites ( Firewall etc ). Chances are , going by how u described what you found, that there are now viruses on the Pc as alot of these sites easily infect pcs, and if you have a network in your office they will spread.

I wouldn't think if it was too odd. I know of plenty of offices where it's a case of nothing directly blocked but with a clear warning about misuse.

If you're in a very awkward position with this perhaps you could use the spyware/virus issue to indirectly clue him to the caliber of idiot he is.

eth0_

Only a total f*cking MORON would surf porn in work never mind spend an entire DAY looking at really hardcore stuff.
I've reported someone before for doing that, because a) they shouldn't be looking at that in work b) it's disgusting to view it in an open plan office where other people have to see it

OP, it's your job to report these people. Maybe give him another chance and report him if he does it again, but at the end of the day, you could get in trouble if someone makes a complaint about his behaviour and YOU are held accountable because you didn't spot it.

Huggles

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

It's a tricky one!

I agree that one persons cup of tea is another persons poison. If the "hardcore" you are referring to is people having sex, ask yourself why this bothers you so much, assuming you've probably had "hardcore" sex yourself as well... Is doing it and watching it really that different?

The guy in question is supposed to be working so its hardly relevent what the OP thinks about hardcore porn :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Huggles

eth0_ wrote:

Only a total f*cking MORON would surf porn in work never mind spend an entire DAY looking at really hardcore stuff.
I've reported someone before for doing that, because a) they shouldn't be looking at that in work b) it's disgusting to view it in an open plan office where other people have to see it

OP, it's your job to report these people. Maybe give him another chance and report him if he does it again, but at the end of the day, you could get in trouble if someone makes a complaint about his behaviour and YOU are held accountable because you didn't spot it.

Exactly. OP this could come back on you in a major way, report this guy first chance you get.

eth0_

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

I agree that one persons cup of tea is another persons poison. If the "hardcore" you are referring to is people having sex, ask yourself why this bothers you so much, assuming you've probably had "hardcore" sex yourself as well... Is doing it and watching it really that different?

FOr gods sake Aoife, read his post, he's doing this in work, presumably in an open plan office and even if it's a private office he shouldn't be looking at this sort of material in work.

OP - do you not have any content filtering proxy?? It's been a long time since I worked anywhere without this sort of software in place.

ApeXaviour

eth0_ wrote:

FOr gods sake Aoife, read his post, he's doing this in work, presumably in an open plan office and even if it's a private office he shouldn't be looking at this sort of material in work.

Ok maybe you shouldn't but why would you single out "this sort of material" so vehemently? It's really not so different than if he spent the day on youtube looking at car crashes or at advertisements for alcoholic products.

I agree with aoife. The OP should ask himself/herself some questions as to why this material in particular might affect how she should do her job. Reactionary personal distaste should not be a factor.

aidan24326

BlackWizard wrote:

Dont report him!! You're just being a prat if you do.

Warn him about it and remind him what your job is. If he is your friend he will
stop. If he is not your friend , he should still stop. Give him the warning first
before you get the chap sacked.

Correct. Lynfo, definitely speak with him/warn him before you go running to management. He is obviously taking the p1ss watching porn all day long but I wouldn't go getting the guy sacked straight off, which he well might be if found to be spending a whole working day watching porn on the net. Warn him if possible, and it's up to him to cop on then and lay off the porn while at work. If he doesn't comply you won't have to be so nice/diplomatic about it next time, as he'll have had fair warning.

Those saying 'report him straight away' were surely the type of hateful little runts who used to run to the teacher telling tales at school.

mr_disc

leeroybrown wrote:

I wouldn't think if it was too odd. I know of plenty of offices where it's a case of nothing directly blocked but with a clear warning about misuse.

Exactly... thats how he can look up porn and thats why he is looking up porn

Nevyn

In some companies if you don't report such abuses you get into trouble yourself.
Check what is the complany policy and report him.

Stephen

Bambi wrote:

Isnt there some european directive about monitoring users without their knowledge/consent?

Any company worth its salt will not let an employee use a company computer or the internet without them first agreeing to and signing an acceptable usage policy, which will lay out the fact that usage is monitored, and what is and isn't acceptable.
Most companies would classify porn @ work as a sackable offence. They can get into all sorts of nasty legal hot water about it if another employee makes a complaint about it.

mr_disc

Stephen wrote:

Any company worth its salt will not let an employee use a company computer or the internet without them first agreeing to and signing an acceptable usage policy, which will lay out the fact that usage is monitored, and what is and isn't acceptable.
Most companies would classify porn @ work as a sackable offence. They can get into all sorts of nasty legal hot water about it if another employee makes a complaint about it.

Very true.... there has been a few cases recently enough where large / reputable companies ( we are talking merchant banks, law firms etc ) fired staff for simply sending mails with dodgy pics , even if there were ment to be sent as a joke or sent in a lighthearted way to buddies there is a mostly " zero tolerance " approach.

leave it for home is what i say.......

aidan24326

mr_disc wrote:

leave it for home is what i say.......

That sums it up really. Even though I posted earlier saying the OP should not immediately report this without considering his options (I still say the same) anyone who's idiot enough to spend an entire shift at work browsing porn nearly deserves the sack just for sheer stupidity. Everyone nowadays knows (or should know) that anything and everything you do on company computers is not necessarily private, and as other posters have said 99% of companies where computer technology/email/internet is used for business purposes will make you sign a privacy waiver as a matter of policy.

Chucky the tree

If the chap was posting on bards all day would you be as eager to report him?

Gurgle

aidan24326 wrote:

Warn him if possible, and it's up to him to cop on then and lay off the porn while at work. If he doesn't comply you won't have to be so nice/diplomatic about it next time, as he'll have had fair warning.

In every company of any size, there are people who are actively looking for a luxory ticket out of there, any form of compensation.

Here's what will happen if you don't do your job OP:
Someone will catch a glimpse of him watching his porn and immedietly be 'shocked, disgusted and horrified' - even if that person has every video of 'Debbie does everywhere' at home. They will be in their doctor's office getting a cert for stress leave within an hour and in their lawyer's office 20 minutes after that.

When the company receives notice that they are being sued, they will immedietly be looking to prove that they took all reasonable measures to ensure that this would never happen.

What measures did they take - they assigned someone the responsibility of checking that people weren't up to this kind of stuff.

The guy who is doing it will be sacked on the spot, and you will have some sticky questions to ask - like did you ever check this guy's PC.

If you warn him, this makes you complicit in his activities. When he eventually gets caught, he will happily say that you knew about it and he thought it was ok so long as he didn't get caught.

r3nu4l

Have a look at this[/URL regarding monitoring of employees at work in Ireland. It comes from the office of the Data Protection Commissioner.

As I said earlier I agree that management must be informed, however you could also earn brownie points and be showing initiative if you are the one who suggests the company-wide email warning as I stated earlier.

This will save employee/employer embarrassment, show employees that they are being monitored but that management are giving people a chance to clean up their act, helps staff morale by showing that management can play fair. It also saves management from a potentially messy situation wiht unions. If a union rep can be shown that the company have made an effort first before taking action then the union rep is more likely to support the management position.

Lynfo

Thanks for all your advice on this subject, I do want to clarify a few things;
firstly, we are a very small company - 2 employees & 2 directors, one of the directors happened to be standing beside me when I came across the content of the pc, so reporting him or not reporting him doesn't come into account here. The person in question has been warned about internet usage before, and while he calmed down for a while, over the past couple of weeks it's been gradually getting worse.
In response to one or two posters - it's not the porn itself which is the problem, if the guy wants to watch that kind of thing in his own time, that is completely his decision and nothing whatsoever to do with me.
Aoife - people having sex doesn't bother me in the slightest, after all it's what makes the world go round - it's the explicit pictures that i was unfortunate enough to have to look at that bothers me. Please don't assume that I have had hardcore sex - I do know the difference between 2 consensual adults and a gang bang.
The end result is that I will probably have to completely restrict internet access, as some of you pointed out, we are on a network here and once a virus gets in, we're all screwed. (no pun intended)
I'm not a prude, I just don't think that this kind of thing should go on in the workplace, I knew that he was checking out other websites, moderate use of internet is ok, but porn is a little extreme, and basically just taking the p*ss.
I personally find it offensive that he things it's perfectly ok to drool over sex acts when the rest of the staff are mere feet away from him.

Aoife-FM104

Lynfo wrote:

I personally find it offensive that he things it's perfectly ok to drool over sex acts when the rest of the staff are mere feet away from him.

You see, this is what I have a problem with. You find arousal frightening and offensive, when really it's a positive, healthy emotion!

The issue here is very much you do not like "hardcore" porn. It has little to do with his Internet activity. As you suggsted, the problem would not be as bad if he was just using boards or whatever.

Anyway, that's a discussion for another forum! Not trying to annoying you etc.

I agree though what he's doing isn't quite "normal" for the workplace. I think if I was the boss I'd give him a written warning rather than fire him.

r3nu4l

Lynfo wrote:

I personally find it offensive that he things it's perfectly ok to drool over sex acts when the rest of the staff are mere feet away from him.

Okay if he has shown you the porn or if you have been able to see it while he is viewing it then that can be construed as sexual harrassment and your employer has a duty to protect you. End of story on that one.

To be on the safe side your employers should draw up an 'acceptable usage' policy and it should be brought to the attention of all staff (i.e. the directors, you and pornoman).

I think the next step should be another verbal warning, continued abuse will constitute a written warning and then a performance improvement plan (PIP) can be initiated before subsequent dismissal if there is no improvement. The PIP should have clearly defined targets and goals for improvement.

Lynfo

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

You see, this is what I have a problem with. You find arousal frightening and offensive, when really it's a positive, healthy emotion!

The issue here is very much you do not like "hardcore" porn. It has little to do with his Internet activity. As you suggsted, the problem would not be as bad if he was just using boards or whatever.

Anyway, that's a discussion for another forum! Not trying to annoying you etc.

I agree though what he's doing isn't quite "normal" for the workplace. I think if I was the boss I'd give him a written warning rather than fire him.

I'm sorry but I beg to differ, if I had a problem with porn in itself I wouldn't even have mentioned the 'during work' part. Don't put words in my mouth please. I do not think that this is something which should be viewed in work, as I said moderate internet usage is ok, most of us do it, but porn is a personal thing and should be kept that way. Do you think he would still be looking at it if I was standing behind him? No, because he knows that he would most likely offend. How on earth can you tell whether I 'find arousal frightening and offensive'??? The lack of respect shown by this employee is more offensive than any kind of porn - hardcore or otherwise. As I said, he can do whatever the hell he wants outside of work, but looking at porn while he should be working is another matter, not to mention the virus factor.
Aoife, your posts are unhelpful.

petes

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

The issue here is very much you do not like "hardcore" porn. It has little to do with his Internet activity. As you suggsted, the problem would not be as bad if he was just using boards or whatever.

That is not the issue at all. The issue is the employee is watching/downloading porn on company time. He is getting paid while he is doing this which is unacceptable. An internet usage policy should be put in place if its not already there. Also some form of web filtering software. As Lynfo has already mentioned the user has been warned about their usage before.

Just My View

Lynfo wrote:

it's the explicit pictures that i was unfortunate enough to have to look at that bothers me.

Herein lies the nub of the matter. One employee is being forced to endure offensive images as a result of the actions of another. It's not about time wasting or the moral rights or wrongs of porn, it's about the OP's rights or anyone else's not to be subjected to it in their workplace. The offender must be taken to task.

Dyr

Stephen wrote:

Any company worth its salt will not let an employee use a company computer or the internet without them first agreeing to and signing an acceptable usage policy, which will lay out the fact that usage is monitored, and what is and isn't acceptable.
Most companies would classify porn @ work as a sackable offence. They can get into all sorts of nasty legal hot water about it if another employee makes a complaint about it.

You'd be suprised how many companies dont mention monitoring of usage and, as far as im aware, that is going to land the OP and his bosses in hot water if the guy was not aware that his activity was being monitored. Thats working on the assumption that even the biggest dipsh*t isnt going to spend all day looking at pr0n when he knows he's being monitored but one lives and learns.

Gurgle

Lynfo wrote:

The person in question has been warned about internet usage before, and while he calmed down for a while, over the past couple of weeks it's been gradually getting worse.

Out the fcuking door & hire someone who will work for a living.

eth0_

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

You see, this is what I have a problem with. You find arousal frightening and offensive, when really it's a positive, healthy emotion!
.

Aoife you're really missing the point here to such a degree that I think you're trolling so consider this a warning.

It doesn't matter what you think about porn - personally if you look at porn or extreme violence in work I think you're a bit of a freak tbh - it's not only morally questionable, it's against the internet AUP in pretty much every company, and it's the OP's job to police internet access at his company.

Aoife-FM104

I agree he shouldn't be looking at porn in work. I understand porn is not to everyone's taste.

BUT. He is looking at it discreetly. The OP has never witnessed him looking at it. It's very possible he is looking at it when everyone has gone home.

And I don't believe arousal is a negative emotion (why oh why is the op so terrified of a work colleague being aroused in work? Stinks of Catholic Ireland tbh!)

Also the fact that the time wasting doesn't really bother her, but the actual porn does, makes me believe this is a porn specific issue, i.e. porn offends her own personal beliefs so it must be wrong.

Unless her company have a statement saying porn is not allowed, the guy can't be fired.

Again, I agree in theory with the OP, but I think she's letting her personal moral code blur the situation a bit.

eth0_, you may not like what I'm saying, but if everyone just agrees with each other and has the same opinion, that is not a very healthy discussion.

I'm not trolling, I just don't believe looking at sex is immoral or wrong.

eth0_

Sorry Aoife but the reason I think you're a troll is because you seem to be of the attitude that it's perfectly fine to look at hardcore porn, and for men to be walking around work with hard-on's!

The issue here is not whether looking at porn is morally acceptable..i'm sure no one here has a problem with people looking at porn at home ...but not in work where most people sign a document outlining the rules about internet access in work.

As I have said, the OP should really implement a filtering firewall, it would save a lot of embarrassment. If people see a message once saying the site they've tried to visit is prohibited because it's porn and they have been recorded, they won't look at it again!

ianmc38

Get the IT people to implement a surf control mechanism of some sort. Fairly standard in any office.

Aoife-FM104

OK

Does the OP's company have a no-porn rule? They should implement one if they don't, and THEN take action against the porno guy.

I still think if he is looking at it after work, it's not so bad. Of course, I'm assuming he thought the OP would not be looking for porn on his PC! If he knew she'd be looking, then he's a moron...

r3nu4l

Aoife,

I have no problem with porn, I love porn, the more hardcore the better to be honest. I have no shame admitting it, I enjoy sex and my heterosexuality to the fullest extent allowable by law...but I too have a BIG problem with people viewing porn (specifically) at work.

It IS offensive to me for someone to be viewing porn at work, do it at home ffs, not at work. I don't think it acceptable to be sitting in a meeting where a colleague is fidgeting in his seat trying to get comfortable because of the stalker in his pants! There is no stink of Catholic Ireland from that, possibly the stink of smegma but not Catholic Ireland!

I totally agree with the OP in this scenario.

Lynfo

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

I agree he shouldn't be looking at porn in work. I understand porn is not to everyone's taste.

BUT. He is looking at it discreetly. The OP has never witnessed him looking at it. It's very possible he is looking at it when everyone has gone home.

And I don't believe arousal is a negative emotion (why oh why is the op so terrified of a work colleague being aroused in work? Stinks of Catholic Ireland tbh!)

Also the fact that the time wasting doesn't really bother her, but the actual porn does, makes me believe this is a porn specific issue, i.e. porn offends her own personal beliefs so it must be wrong.

Unless her company have a statement saying porn is not allowed, the guy can't be fired.

Again, I agree in theory with the OP, but I think she's letting her personal moral code blur the situation a bit.

eth0_, you may not like what I'm saying, but if everyone just agrees with each other and has the same opinion, that is not a very healthy discussion.

I'm not trolling, I just don't believe looking at sex is immoral or wrong.

Ok, this is the 3rd time I have had to correct you.
Firstly, as i stated already, he is looking at this while the rest of the staff are in work.
Secondly, where exactly did I say I'm terrified of a colleague being aroused in work? Porn is a personal issue and should be treated as such. NOT IN THE WORKPLACE
Thirdly, time wasting absolutely bothers me, I don't mind the occasional glance at the internet, everybody needs a break from time to time, but to spend a full day surfing porn sites or any other sites is simply not acceptable.
As I already said, porn does not offend me, each to their own, if he wants to do it in his own time then so be it. If I walked in while he was humping someone on his desk I would be offended too. If he spent endless hours looking at car crash videos, or happy slapping incidents, the same would apply.
Aoife, you're basically missing the entire point here, you are insinuating that I have moral issues with sex when I have categorically stated that this is not so.
I originally posted to get other peoples views and opinions on what should be done. You are simply a time waster.

Motley Crue

I would agree with the OP, watching it all day in work was disgraceful, it wouldnt be so bad if it was pictures of women with their clothes on, in bikinis or even one or two topless shots (The Sun website or something for example, I dont visit it myself, but I believe its very popular) but I dont see the point of looking at hardcore pornography at work because it just shocks and offends people.

unless of course it was done to shock and offend, and he knows that other people check his computer, and he did it purposely

I don't believe looking at sex is immoral or wrong but I do believe that timewasting is wrong if youre paid to do a job. a break is a break, but come on

Aoife-FM104

Lynfo wrote:

Ok, this is the 3rd time I have had to correct you.
Firstly, as i stated already, he is looking at this while the rest of the staff are in work.

But how do you know this? You said you only found out he was looking at porn after checking his computer...

Lynfo wrote:

Secondly, where exactly did I say I'm terrified of a colleague being aroused in work? Porn is a personal issue and should be treated as such. NOT IN THE WORKPLACE

"I personally find it offensive that he things it's perfectly ok to drool over sex acts when the rest of the staff are mere feet away from him."

Offensive, him drooling, only a few feet away... sounds kind scary to me!

Lynfo wrote:

You are simply a time waster.

No! You see, I don't believe you would have posted this on the Internet if it was about wasting time or car crashes. It's obviously a porn specific issue... Clearly you do not have "no problem" when it comes to porn...

Would you really have posted here if it was about him using boards.ie a few times a day? Somehow I doubt he looks at porn ALL DAY LONG.

Anyway! I've said enough. We can take this up in humanities if you wish!

Dyr

So anyway Lynfo, i might have missed it but i cant see whether you've actually stated this yet so:

Do you have an acceptable usage policy for the internet and has this guy signed it?

Have your staff been made aware that you monitor their activity while they use company pc's?

from the data protection commisioners' website:

monitoring, including employees’ email or internet usage, surveillance by camera, video cameras or location data must comply with the transparency requirements of data protection law. Staff must be informed of the existence of the surveillance, and also the purposes for which personal data are to be processed.



And as for the whole virus thing, If this guy accessing porn sites is a threat to your network than your security measures really arent robust enough.

Lynfo

Ok now you're really starting to p*ss me off.

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

But how do you know this? You said you only found out he was looking at porn after checking his computer...!

I know this because he finishes work at 5pm on the button everyday, whereas I stay back until 6 most days if not later - if he's not looking at it in work then he's performing some kind of magic to get his work pc home.

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

I personally find it offensive that he things it's perfectly ok to drool over sex acts when the rest of the staff are mere feet away from him."

Offensive, him drooling, only a few feet away... sounds kind scary to me!

If you re-read the quote Aoife you will see that I find it offensive that he's doing this IN WORK. If I was looking up sites of this nature for this amount of time I'm fairly sure the MD would have a few stern words for me.

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

No! You see, I don't believe you would have posted this on the Internet if it was about wasting time or car crashes. It's obviously a porn specific issue... Clearly you do not have "no problem" when it comes to porn...

You seem to have quite a knack for reading peoples minds, if I were you I'd ask for my money back because you haven't a clue what I think even after I've explained myself countless times.

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

Would you really have posted here if it was about him using boards.ie a few times a day? Somehow I doubt he looks at porn ALL DAY LONG

If he was on boards.ie all day, or any other site all day I would certainly have a problem with it. You may doubt all you like, but I know for a fact that he was on those sites from lunchtime until closing.

Aoife-FM104 wrote:

Anyway! I've said enough.

Thanks be to God, does that mean you're finished talking sh*t now?

Bambi wrote:

Do you have an acceptable usage policy for the internet and has this guy signed it?

Have your staff been made aware that you monitor their activity while they use company pc's?

Bambi, we are a relatively new company and have not as yet established a usage policy for the internet. I will certainly be looking into it now, but at the time of setting up, this was a problem which we simply did not forsee. This guy shouldn't have the time to be messing on the internet, obviously he is shirking his responsibilities in order to make time for this.

Anyway, guys thanks for all your help (most of you anyway)

Dyr

Lynfo wrote:

Bambi, we are a relatively new company and have not as yet established a usage policy for the internet. I will certainly be looking into it now, but at the time of setting up, this was a problem which we simply did not forsee. This guy shouldn't have the time to be messing on the internet, obviously he is shirking his responsibilities in order to make time for this.

So you've had time to implement a monitoring solution but you havent informed the staff of its existence? im not sure how far that privacy guideline has gone towards becoming law but it seems you're on dodgier legal ground than mr pervy. :eek:

rick_fantastic

if ya have any grasp of IT at all... implement the following

linux server with squid proxy and dans guardian as content filter. this will allow you to see on a daily basis what web pages your staff are visiting and dan guardian will allow you to block all unwanted websites

this is free opensource software....

other option is to put in surfcontrol or websense (cost associated with this)

if u want a sample internet and mail usage policy pm me and ill send you on something.

pron at work not only leaves you open to legal issues there is also virus / spyware threats from this crap.

internet access in the workplace is a priviledge not a right imho

rick_fantastic

Internet Policy

1. <Company Name Here> Internet connections are intended for activities that either support <Company Name Here> business or professional development of employees.
2. Web surfing unrelated to these activities is strictly forbidden. Staff members who in the opinion of management have abused this will be subject to disciplinary sanction.
3. General Internet access will only be provided to authorised personnel. Authorised personnel will be issued with appropriate passwords and those passwords should not be divulged to any other person at any stage. Authorised personnel will have responsibility for Internet access under their password and hence will also have responsibility for illicit use of that password with or without their consent
4. <Company Name Here> monitors Internet usage on a systematic basis
5. To prevent computer viruses from being transmitted through the system there will be no unauthorised downloading of any software. All software downloads will be done through the IT Department.

In Summary:

Internet access is conditional on the following additional rules being observed:

1. Internet is for <Company Name Here> business only. It should not be used for any private or other use.
2. To access downloading or sending of any indecent, obscene, pornographic, sexist, racist or defamatory or other inappropriate materials as well as the circulation of such materials will be a dismissible offence. This rule will be strictly enforced and is viewed as very serious with potential criminal liabilities arising there from. The Garda or other appropriate authority will be informed where appropriate.
3. <Company Name Here> has a web page, which should not be interfered with or changed in any way without prior authorisation.
4. <Company Name Here> staff save should not use use of public messaging systems on the Internet with a specific written permission of a manager. Public messaging systems include user groups, special Internet forums and bulletin boards.

Infringement/breach of Internet and e-mail rules

Any breaches of these rules will be treated seriously and will be subjected to disciplinary action up to and including dismissal.
For further details of our disciplinary procedures please refer to our employee handbook.