Email abuse rife in the workplace

One-third of female employees have used their work computers to search for new jobs, but just one quarter of their male colleagues admitted to doing the same.

Eighty-seven per cent of all respondents also said they used their office PCs for non work-related surfing, with news, travel, sports and web-based email sites the most popular choices, according to a survey from computer consultants DataSec.

Just half of respondents were aware their employers had a policy in place relating to email and internet use, with 42 per cent unaware that actions such as email harassment of fellow employees could land their employer in court.

Two-thirds of employees who were aware that their company had an email policy said they had received no training or guidance on it.