News on 30 November 2000
The need to have clear guidelines for the use of e-mail
at work was underlined by the news that people have been dismissed at
the Birmingham office of Cable & Wireless for abuse of corporate e-mail
facilities.
Reports on the web news service Ananova and in the Birmingham Evening
Mail say that six staff have been sacked and a number of other staff disciplined
at the company's sales centre in Small Heath.
A spokesman for the communications firm said: "Cable & Wireless
has a clear policy, which is communicated to all employees as part of
their recruitment literature and on our intranet, that the company will
not tolerate the use of any company communications tools to carry or download
any defamatory, discriminatory, offensive or obscene material. Regular
reminders are issued to this effect. Cable & Wireless regards this
as serious misconduct."
The Birmingham Mail reports that it understands some of those sacked plan
to appeal, claiming computer misuse was rife at the office.
The whole issue of workplace surveillance is confused as the Telecommunications
(Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations
2000 and the Human Rights Act appear to be in conflict as to the rights
of employers to screen the e-mails of staff.
