This paper examines some important processes and elements of Marketing Pulse One which is a major consultancy company in Murray Hill, New Jersey. The paper will review the policies utilized by the company to deal with major matters and issues that cover potential risks.
Internet Use Policy
The preamble of the Internet use policy of Marketing Pulse One acknowledges the importance and centrality of the internet and email as a system of conducting effective work in the company. It however states that the policy is meant to ensure the responsible use of the Internet and the promotion of high levels of performance through the use of the Internet.
The scope of the policy indicates that the Internet use policy is a part of the overall regulations of the company and must be obeyed at all times. It shows there are aspect of national and state laws that are integrated in it and it is premised on the employer-employee relationship that is established through the labor contract each employee has with Marketing Pulse One.
Intellectual property rights policy is a part of the policy and it states that every intellectual right relating to all the software and hardware used in the workplace will be considered a property of the company. Thus, the policy states that any use of the computer and internet resources in the company must be job related and not for personal benefits. Copyrighted materials that belong to third party entities may not be transmitted by employees over the company’s system. Employees are not supposed to use defamatory and abusive language in communication online.
Monitoring and filtering is a part of the company’s rights in the policy. This is because it is emphatic that communication done on the company’s server and with its email is not private and confidential. And as such, could be subject to monitoring by members of Marketing Pulse One. The monitoring and filtering system is set by the management of the company and they have a centralized system that records information that is exchanged on the master server of the company. The master server provides insight to all forms of information that is transmitted or downloaded in the company’s server and with the company’s emails. Employees are also required to agree to a regular monitoring and check of their email and technological activities over time. Thus, workers are expected to maintain a degree of decency in workplace activities and processes.
End-user training programs relating to internet use is a part of the training of employees. Employees are trained with information about what the internet usage is about and what their abuse will imply. However, this is usually for consultants hired at a higher level who require some kind of guidance and education. Most workers in Marketing Pulse One are hired through internship and secondment. Thus, they are able to learn by watching their colleagues and reading general instructions. From time to time, a worker’s supervisor might prompt him or her on practices that are not appropriate. In cases where there are major overhauls of the computer and internet system, workers are given an orientation of how the new system works and they are encouraged to learn and understand new things and new processes.
Personal Use of Internet
Evidence shows that some 64% of workers visit non-work related websites during an average workday. Marketing Pulse One shows signs that members visit personal sites from time to time. Organizational culture permits some of these sites – like checking world news and visiting some international sites to update knowledge of present trends. However, visiting sites like Facebook and other social media sites is blocked by a central IT arrangement as a means of preventing abuse of company internet resources.
Ethically, it can be seen as a thief of time to undertake the private use of the Internet. This is because workers are paid to do specific works and they are paid for working at certain hours of the day. For workers to breach that is against the main principles of hiring workers. Also, there is an ethical problem with the need for the security compliance and this could lead to major problems and risks.
Legally, there is a contract between workers and employees. This is bound by law and in cases of dispute, they are sent to court. Where workers spend a considerable quantity of their time on other sites that are not work-related, there is a risk that there could be major problems and issues. Also, information security is an important part of work and could turn out to be problematic.
Quality of work is almost always affected because where workers are doing their work and their duty and at the same time they have to go back and forth checking other sites, there is a problem of compromising the quality of work they will do. On the other hand, personal use of the internet can be argued to be an important part of social life so it is necessary to let workers resolve these social issues and get a clear mind with which they can work. However, all in all, it is apparent that personal internet usage compromises on the quality of work that can be done because workers have less time to spend on company work and devote part of the time they need to use to work for the internet.
Productivity is generally reduced. Quite frankly, workers are paid for overtime. And if they have to visit other sites that are not work related, they are likely to work less and take part of their time away and use it on things that do not add up to the results and the quality of work available. Therefore, productivity is a major problem that comes with non-work related use of internet. Furthermore, in cases where workers are involved in the download of large media files online for private purposes, this could slow down the system. The excessive printing and abuse of systems could lead to major problems that will prevent the attainment of proper results in the operations of a company.
Personal Usage of the Internet
There have been some sites that I have been interested in visiting. This include sites for purchasing products online and acquiring things that are needed for personal matters. I visit ebay.com and similar sites on a regular basis. Also, I use Google Translator to communicate with friends overseas because I am learning a number of international languages. Furthermore, banking is an important part of life and I always check my bank account to plan my personal life. These things are important and vital because they enable me to catch up with aspects of life that I would have been undertaking if I was not bound by my work contract which requires me to be at work all the time.
Works Cited
Conner, Cheryl. Who Wastes The Most Time At Work? 7 September 2013. Web. 15 March 2016. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/09/07/who-wastes-the-most-time-at-work/#3bb765b37b3a>.
