Electronic Usage Policy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Electronic Usage Policy - Research Paper Example Recent researches have shown an increase in the number of, individuals, especially in their workplaces, who access the internet everyday all over the world and these individuals have access to many databases, which may sometimes hold explicit, violent, prohibited and at times illegal content. This has created a situation where these individuals use the electronic resources of the organizations for which they work to access information that is not work related and this has been a source of concern for the managements of these organizations. In order to curb these tendencies by those who use their electronic media, especially the internet, many companies and organizations have chosen to adopt electronic usage policies whose purpose is to ensure that there is responsible use of this resource. Furthermore, these policies have been put in place to ensure that electronic resources are not used for purposes, which are not compatible with the objectives of the organizations in which they are used. ... However, despite the fact that many businesses and institutions have made the internet accessible to their employees for the purpose of ensuring that they conduct their activities with ease, it has been realized that its usage has become subject to abuse by those who use it. In this paper therefore, we shall look at some of the reasons why the use of the internet should be regulated through the introduction of electronic usage policies by various institutions. Literature Review Recent surveys that have been conducted by human resource managers on employees have found that approximately sixty five percent of employees spend at least some of their work time on non- work related internet activity. Among the employees who use social networks sites, it has been found that fifty six percent of them check their profiles during their normal workdays and that fifteen percent of this group spends at least one hour a day browsing the internet on non-work related sites. It was further found that over sixty one percent of employees sent personal emails, with nineteen percent sending more than five personal emails per day. The response of many institutions and organizations to non-work related internet activity has been to establish tougher  policies  regarding internet  usage  and  electronic  means to ensure that their employees are monitored (Ambrose & Noel, 2006). It has been found that the most dominant method of controlling the internet behavior of individuals, is through the blocking of sites, the monitoring of internet usage  and email, and finally, firing employees for  violating the electronic usage policies of their companies. The developments in employee potential misuse of electronic technology, and the