Employers should crack down on internet misuse, says law firm

4.00pm

New Zealand businesses need to crack down on internet misuse by employees, a new survey says.

The study by international law firm Kensington Swan follows a similar report compiled in Britain last year.

It showed New Zealand companies lagged behind Britain when it came to control of the internet and email by staff.

"Staff access is higher in this country, but policies and procedures to monitor misuse are less stringent," Kensington Swan partner Peter Churchman said in a statement.

More than 120 of New Zealand's largest employers responded to the survey which showed a much higher proportion allowed all staff access to e-mail (75 per cent compared with 63 per cent in Britain) and the internet (68 per cent to 49 per cent).

It also found 22 per cent of companies surveyed did not have a written policy for employee behaviour in relation to the internet and email.

Only 55 per cent of New Zealand employers defined the terms misconduct and serious misconduct in those policies, compared with 87 per cent in Britain.

"The phenomenon of email and internet misuse is growing as our reliance on computers in the workplace continues," Mr Churchman said.

"The fact that most employers monitor usage has not deterred widespread misuse."

Employers needed to put internet usage policies in place.

"Unless they do so, they are exposing themselves to unnecessary risks," Mr Churchman said.

- NZPA