EMPLOYEE INTERNET ABUSE: POLICY VERSUS REALITY

This study addresses the question of whether Management and Technical measures effectively prevent or reduce employee Internet Abuse. Recent literature suggests that there is concern among practitioners and academics regarding the potential for diminished productivity, wasting of time and other resources, and even legal liability due to personal Internet use on company time. Recommendations to counter these problems usually include technical measures (firewall policy) and management measures (Acceptable Internet Use Policy or AIUP). Most studies to date have relied on subject selfreporting to assess these potential problems. In our study we examine the actual Internet log file of an international company. We compare the declarations in the company’s AIUP with the actual Internet use patterns in the log file. We also assess the effectiveness of the company’s firewall policy by noting the types of web sites that are blocked, compared to the types that are not blocked. This study sheds light on the gap between currently recommended measures and the reality of personal Internet use in the workplace. Our findings have implications regarding effective policy formulation and enforcement of interest to both managers and educators.