The Internet and the WorkplaceThe Internet has become a ubiquitous presence in the American workplace. In the United States, two-thirds of employees at medium-sized and large businesses now have access to the Internet, up from fifteen percent just two years ago, according to a sample of 500 companies surveyed by IntelliQuest Corporation. (IntelliQuest)Workers with access to the Web typically spend five to ten hours per week sending personal emails or searching for information not specifically related to their work. Popular entertainment sites, such as ESPN's Sport Zone, where visitors can check sports scores, and POGO, where they can play games, experience heavy traffic during the workday. With everything from CDs to cars for sale on the Web, some employees are also spending more time shopping online. The Internet offers many new opportunities for businesses. Businesses using the Internet can reduce operating costs because human tasks can be automated, data can be transferred more efficiently, and the business requires less real estate space and inventory. Additionally, businesses using the Internet can monitor their competitors, quickly retrieve information, and facilitate communication with employees and customers. Creating a site on the World Wide Web allows businesses to operate on a larger scale and easily expand their product lines. However, in addition to using the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web and e-mail, for work purposes, employees also use the Internet for personal purposes, whether sending personal e-mail messages, playing games, download pornography, order products online, check stock prices or gamble. As a result, many problems have arisen regarding employees' use of email and the Internet. Em...... middle of paper......any. I think this should be considered an invasion of privacy. If the company believes the employee has violated their employment rights by posting false information about the company, each case must be reviewed individually. If the employer believes that slander has been committed, take the offender to court and do not violate the civil rights of everyone else because of discontent. Bibliography IntelliQuest Information Group, Inc., Latest IntelliQuest Survey Reports 62 Million U.S. Adults Access Internet/Online Services (February 5, 1998) http://www.intelliquest.com/about/release41.htmJames A. Martin, You Are Being Watched, PC World, November 1997, Adam J. Conti and James W. Wimberly, The Developing Law of Cyberspace (January 1996) Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Technology Rises Legal Questions, Visions (May/ June 1996) (visited in May 8, 1998)