Employees at Ford have been given a two-week amnesty in which to remove
internet porn and other offensive material from their computers.
The amnesty was launched after the motor company discovered that some staff are
worried they may be unwittingly storing offensive material and do not know how
to delete it.
Ford’s HR department provided staff with detailed instructions on how to
remove non-work related files from computers, and gave them a two-week
deadline.
Maria Antoniou, Ford’s HR director, reminded employees of the firm’s zero
tolerance policy on the storage of offensive material and warned of strict
disciplinary action if anything is discovered after the amnesty.
"This is a routine reminder to make sure our employees are aware of the
company’s position on the misuse of computers.
"Ford has a zero tolerance policy on the use of material that can
offend others. Anyone accessing, transmitting or storing offensive or
inappropriate material will be subject to disciplinary action," she said.
Last year Ford suspended three employees at its Dagenham plant in Essex
after they were discovered accessing pornographic material on the internet.
– According to a survey released last week, more than half of UK employees admit
to misusing their company’s e-mail system.
In the research, by internet filtering company SurfControl and research firm
NOP, three out of 10 respondents said they send racist, sexist, pornographic
and discriminatory e-mails while at work.
And almost four out of 10 admitted to using e-mail to backstab colleagues to
further their own careers.
By Ross Wigham
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