28 year old, Friendly Frank, found himself unemployed and looking for work after he was fired from First National Bank. Frank was well liked and always had received positive reviews during his five year career at the bank. He had joined the organization right after graduating college and had been promoted and done well during his time there. Frank was fired for breaking a company rule regarding using social media accounts while at work. Frank would occasionally log into his Facebook social media account during work hours on his work computer which violated company rules. This ultimately led to his losing his job as it was against First National Bank policies for employees to engage in personal activities online for non-work related activities during the workday. Frank lamented his firing stating that it was a complete overreaction, his activities were innocent, occasional, and brief. Not any different than anyone taking an occasional break throughout the day. The Bank however countered that they want employees to be solely focused on serving clients during the workday.

Case Questions:

The internet is a staple of the modern office. Some companies are concerned that the Internet (and its e-mail application) lead to increased theft of time in the workplace. But, others argue that the Internet promotes efficiency of information. Should companies simply get rid of the Internet at work or should they craft policies that acknowledge the reality that employees may occasionally use the Internet for non-work related tasks.

1. What are your thoughts on this?
2. What are the parameters and the potential implications for failure to adhere to those parameters?