This can be difficult for an organization to deal with. Internet and e-mail use has been a controversial topic with human resource management since the internet became an active part of day to day life. There have been many claims and court cases revolving around the controversy that is internet and e-mail use in the workplace. Smyth v. The Pillsbury Company was a Federal District Court case in which Smyth accused The Pillsbury Company of wrongful discharge for an email that was sent out by Smyth that the company deemed “inappropriate and unprofessional comments over the company’s e-mail system” (p. 37). O’Connor v. Ortega and Katz v. United States founded a Supreme Court ruling that employees have a certain amount of privacy in the workplace as well as in their desk and file cabinet areas (Muhl, 2003). There are numerous cases in which the boundaries of workplace privacy and workplace internet and e-mail use are pushed and pulled back …show more content…
Miller (2013) describes this virtual world as an asset for employers and industries as a whole. The internet allows employers to reach around the world to other organizations and conduct business. This concept is young and is continuing to become more innovative and effective for organizations. It is essential a human resource policy manual provide distinct guidelines on the use of the internet and e-mail within the workplace because it is and is becoming more prevalent and sacred to the global marketplace. Employees must understand where the lines will be drawn on disorderly and unprofessional conduct in regards to internet and e-mail usage. These lines must be distinct in order to prevent a case of unlawful termination and must reflect the benefit of the internet and e-mail to the