According to an article written by Workforce.com, 31.8% of publicly traded companies in the U.S. were compelled to investigate a suspected violation of privacy or data protection because an employee of the company used the company’s electronic media (e-mail, the Internet, instant messaging, etc.) inappropriately.
In a report by Forrester Consulting and Proofpoint, 26% of companies surveyed say they saw their business affected because sensitive or embarrassing information had been leaked this way - and the trend is not slowing down.
The Biggest Problem - Bad News Spreads FAST Online
Problems included losing trade secrets and client files to slander and defamation lawsuits - and almost 28 of the companies that participated in this survey said they had terminated an employee for misusing e-mail. s and message boards were also cited as being problematic.
The biggest problem is that electronic media spreads FAST. If an employee sends an inappropriate joke from your company e-mail address, it can spread like wildfire causing harm to your company’s reputation, not to mention lost business and costly lawsuits.
How To Protect Your Company
First, companies should have an acceptable use policy (AUP) in place that all employees are required to read, understand, and sign. An AUP simply outlines how employees can — and can’t — use company e-mail, Internet, or other electronic media. But that is just the starting point…
If the requirements on your AUP are not enforced, employees will accidentally (or intentionally) violate your rules. That’s why every company needs to invest in good e-mail and web filtering software.
Just having it in place will act as a deterrent for such activities, and if something is going on — like an employee leaking confidential information to a competitor or sending racial or sexist jokes through your company’s e-mail —you’ll be able to nip it in the bud before it comes back and bites you in the form of a lawsuit.
Enforce Your Policies!
Additionally, a good web filter will prevent employees from accessing inappropriate material online, wasting time on non-work related activities, downloading viruses and spyware, and using up company bandwidth to download photos and music.