Controlling Cyber Deviance in the Workplace - Assignment Example

Controlling Cyber Deviance in the Workplace Background The benefits associated with the use of the Internet as a communication and information tool outweighs the adverse impacts it brings to any company. Any form of misuse of time in the workplace can create problems for managers and enterprises as the company provides technological tools for employees at work. Currently, many companies provide their employees with Internet access to facilitate their jobs. As such, the high corporate reliance on the Internet has resulted in an increasing concern as the prevalence of Internet abuse is on the rise. Employee Internet Abuse has become a potential business disease, and corporations are increasing their interest in its potential costs on the company. Cyber deviance is on the rise in many workplaces as most employees engage in Internet abuse unrelated to work. Employees use the Internet for other purposes including sending personal emails and chatting with friends and family members. According to Kimberly (2014), several studies have confirmed that the majority of employees in many companies abuse the Internet (P. 194). Among the most common cyber deviance recorded include, surfing the Internet during work hours, accessing pornography, online chatting, gaming and shopping at work. New studies show that cyber deviance among employees during working hours, costs corporations many cash in lost revenues, reduced productivity, draining network resources, adverse publicity and possible legal liability (Kimberly, 2014). As such, it is paramount for employers and companies to develop strategies to deal with cyber deviance among employees to reduce the loss. Workplace setting This paper will focus on the possible reduction of workplace cyber deviance among employees in a travel agency. In such a company, employees are equipped with the Internet access for various work purposes. Travel orders and payments for such a firm are done online. Some employees are mandated with the role of ensuring travelers buy their tickets on time and are put on the right vehicles. Due to widespread Internet usage for such a company, chances of possible cyber deviance among the employees are very high. As discussed earlier, cyber deviance and consequent Internet abuse can result in enormous losses for this travel company. The company needs a comprehensive action plan to ensure that cyber deviance among its employees is minimal. Preventing cyber deviance in the workplace This paper proposes a holistic action plan to deal with cyber deviance for the company. The action plan to reduce cyber deviance for the enterprise is the Internet Acceptable Usage Policy (IAUP). Several possible strategies can help combat Internet abuse among employees. The choice of a particular strategy depends on the resources and abilities of the company. However, for effectiveness, this paper proposes the use of a combination of strategies to deal with cyber deviance. As Kimberly (2014) argues, corporations must employ various effective Internet use strategies to address cyber deviance ranging from development of policies to employee training. If used collectively, these efforts ensure employees’ interdependence in workplace technologies thus reducing cyber deviance (p. 203). The action plan to reduce cyber deviance among employees will start by developing the relevant policies to reduce the problem. Secondly, the company will communicate these policies to employees through training and education. Lastly, the company will enforce and implement the policies. The three steps will help reduce Internet abuse among the employees. Policy development The use of the Internet has sparked an extraordinary growth for most companies. However, cyber deviance is posing a threat to the growth of these enterprises. Employers and firms have realized that the increasing Internet abuse by employees drains employee productivity. One of the methods to prevent Internet abuse and cyber deviance is to set an Internet policy. The policy should outline the permissible parameters allowable for employee Internet use (Henle & Kedharnath, 2012). Employee should have access to the Internet policy via emails and other electronic monitoring procedures. The plans developed for Internet usage among employees will specify prohibited uses, rules of online behavior among employees of the company and access privileges for different Internet users. The plans will also include penalties for employees who violate the guidelines and use the Internet in a manner not specified in the policies. All staff using the company Internet will sign the policy and know that the document is a legally binding document that allows the company to monitor employee activities on the Internet. In terms of preventing cyber deviance among employees many studies, support the development and implementation of computer and Internet policies that can help the company curb Internet and computer abuse (Ugrin & Pearson, 2008). The computer use policy not only provides a guideline on appropriate computer use but also an outline mechanism for monitoring Internet abuse. The policy also describes and elaborates how the company will enforce and punish work-related activities categorized as cyber deviance. Proper policies that clearly define Internet use in the workplace also indicate punishment methods. The combination of Internet use policies, education initiatives, enforcement and monitoring of employee activities significantly reduces Internet and computer abuse in the workplace. Education initiatives No method of reducing Internet abuse can be efficient without proper awareness or change of perception among the employees. Some element of self-control can be developed by informing individuals of the extent of their involvement with Internet abuse (Chen, Charlie, & Yang, 2008). Therefore, educating employees on methods to reduce Internet abuse may help lessen the problem in organizations. After developing the policies, they will be communicated to the employees via educational programs. The comprehensive action plan to eliminate Internet abuse among employees will also incorporate educational initiatives and training programs on proper online conduct and Internet usage. The fact that the policies to reduce Internet abuse are developed does not mean that employees will immediately conform to the new rules. Most companies face the problem of communicating the new policy updates to employees to ensure they stay current with the changing technologies. The company will conduct corporate training regarding Internet use and possible abuse in the workplace. The corporate training program will be designed to ensure increased employee awareness on issues of Internet abuse and future occurrence of Internet abuse incidences. The training programs will be in the form of corporate seminars. The use of workshops in employee training and education is one of the most proactive methods to teach employees about Internet use and abuse (Ozler & Polat, 2012). The educational initiative will cover topics such as what the company takes as acceptable and unacceptable Internet use and identifying the signs that an individual is abusing the Internet in the workplace. The training sessions may also identify risk factors that may cause an employee to abuse the Internet. Policy enforcement After developing the right policies and using appropriate educational methods to inform and communicate to the employees about the new policies, policy implementation becomes the final step. Once a policy is well expressed, the company will device system to monitor Internet user accounts for individual employees to enforce the set policies. The company will use both filtering software and firewalls to block employees from accessing the Internet from areas designated as inappropriate by the company. Filters are valuable because they prevent employee from accessing the Internet from areas that the company finds objectionable. In addition, the managers will use monitoring software to monitor employee activities on the Internet. Excessive control may lead to employee resistance and retaliation. The company should work towards an acceptable Internet use policy that incorporate the needs of the employees and creates a balance between personal requirement and work. A proper Internet use policy should focus on maintaining the balance between some personal web utilization and work. Although resources should devoted to reducing cyber deviance, employees should be allowed some room for small internet web browsing as strategy to cope with stress at work. Effective enforcement of the Internet usage policies should include punitive consequences for individuals violating the policies. The monitoring activities of the managers include follow-up punishments and disciplinary actions (Vitak, Jessica, Crouse, & LaRose, 2011). Despite the fact that the deterrence methods can help in reducing Internet abuse among employees, it is vital for companies to examine the importance of individual deterring mechanisms. The company managers should also assess the relative impacts of the different deterrence mechanisms used together. The action plan (Internet Acceptable Usage Policy) The importance of computer use policy in reducing cyber deviance is very apparent. A possible Internet Acceptable Usage Policy outlined below. The first crucial step in controlling and managing Internet and computer usage is to develop an Internet Acceptable Usage Policy. The IAUP will establish what the company considers permissible when using the Internet and other computer resources for the firm. Successful implementation of Internet usage policies ensure that active promotion, training, and enforcement are integral parts of the developed policies (Shamsudin, Subramaniam, & Ahmad, 2012). The company will also provide a tool that can monitor and report actual usage to ensure policy compliance and feedback on implementation. Steps for implementing an effective Internet policy include 1. The first step is to establish a written policy for the firm. The legal staff and management at the company should review the policy regularly. 2. Posting the policy publicly and give each person a copy to be signed. After signing the policy, all employees will return an acknowledgment of having read and understood the policy. The acknowledgment of reading the policy will be in the form of a confirmation email on the company website 3. Vigorously promoting and enforcing the policy. Policies are developed and publicized through seminars or informal sessions that combine managers and other employees. Through such forums, the company can communicate its intentions to enforce and implement the Internet usage policy. Sample IAUP for Smart Travel Agency Overview Smart Travel Agency provides vast Internet information resources to help you do your job efficiently and make you well-informed. The facilities provided for you represent a considerable commitment of company resources for telecommunications, networking, storage and software. This Internet usage policy is designed to inform you of the expectations of using these resources wisely. Before embarking on the set guidelines for using the company Internet resources, we would like to start by describing the Internet usage philosophy for Smart Travel Agency briefly. Firstly, the Internet for Smart Travel Agency is offered to you at a cost. This means that the firm expects staff to use these Internet resources primarily for work-related purposes. We encourage you to conduct yourselves appropriately on the Internet especially at work. All company policies apply to your personal conduct on the Internet particularly those that deal with property rights, sexual harassment, privacy, misuse of company resources, and confidentiality. Unnecessary or authorized cyber usage can lead to congestion slows down other users and affects the company’s productivity. Unlawful usage of the Internet can result in negative public image about the agency and expose the business to legal liabilities. Any careless thing an employee writes on the Internet can be taken as representing the whole company. Therefore, this policy outlines the various guidelines that will help and ensure that we use the Internet resources efficiently. Policy provisions 1. The Smart Travel Agency has installed software to monitor and record Internet usage among its employees. The systems can record any visit to the web, and each email message sent or received via the company networks. Our managers have the power to review and analyze Internet activities and usage patterns for each employee. The managers may choose to make the data public to assure that Smart Travel Agency Internet resources are devoted to company work and highest productivity and job performance. 2. Smart Travel Agency reserves the right to inspect any files stored in its networks to ensure compliance with the policy. 3. The view and display of any sexually explicit contents on any of Smart Travel Agency systems or networks is a violation of company policy on sexual harassment. In addition, our Internet resources may not be used to store, record or distribute any sexually explicit content. 4. No employee may use Smart Travel Agency facilities to download personal information, or distribute pirated content 5. Employees are prohibited from using the company facilities to propagate a virus, Trojan horse or other illegal coded programs 6. The Smart Travel Agency owns and retains the copyright of any information posted on the Internet using company facilities 7. Employees may use Smart Travel Agency Internet facilities and resources to conduct other non-business research or web browsing during breaks such as meal times or outside work hours, as long as they adhere to other usage policies 8. Employees with access to the Internet are prohibited from using company Internet facilities for downloading entertainment or games. The employees are also no allowed to play online games over the Internet 9. Employees with Internet access may also not use Smart Travel Agency Internet facilities to download images, videos and documents unless the material has some business use that benefits the company. Education and promotion Smart Travel Agency will use seminars and open forums to educate employees on the importance of adhering to the Internet usage policies developed by the company. According to Beugre & Kim, (2006), education and awareness ensure success in the implementation of the Internet usage policy. The top ten managers should be responsible for enforcement of the Internet usage policy (p. 835). Any individual who will no follow the rules or set guidelines will be subject to punishments. References Beugre, C., & Kim, D. (2006). Cyberloafing: Vice or Virtue. In K. Mehdi, Emerging Trends and Challenges in Informatio Technology Management (pp. 834-835). Chen, J., Charlie, C., & Yang, H. (2008). An Empirical Evaluation of Key Factors Conributing to Internet Abuse in the Workplace. Industrial Management and Data Systems, Vol. 108, No. 1, 87-106. Henle, C., & Kedharnath, U. (2012). Cyberloafing in the Workplace. IGI Global. Kimberly, S. (2014). Controlling Internet Abuse in the Workplace. In A. Murugan, S. Thompson, & A. Claire, The Internet and Workplace Transformation (pp. 193-204). Routledge. Ozler, D., & Polat, G. (2012). Cyberloafing Phenomenon in Organizations: Determinats and Impacts. International Journal of E-Business and E-Government Studies, Vol. 4, No. 2, 1-15. Shamsudin, F., Subramaniam, C., & Ahmad, S. (2012). The Effect of HR Practises, Leadership Style on Cyberdeviance: The Mediating Role of Organizationsl Committment. Journal of Marketing and Management, Vol. 3. No. 1. Ugrin, J., & Pearson, J. (2008). Exploring Internet abuse in the workplace: How can we maximize deterence efforts. Review of Business, Vol. 28, No. 2, 29-40. Vitak, Jessica, Crouse, J., & LaRose, R. (2011). Personal Internet use at Work: Understanding Cyberslacking. Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 27, 1751-1759. Read More