Not safe for work

Hi, Tenley. The last time we spoke, you were working from home. Is that still the case?
Tenley van den Berg: No, it’s not. I am pleased to be back in the office now.

Why do you say you’re pleased to be back?
At the office, I turn on my computer, work and that’s it. At home, I to get distractedabgelenkt werdenget distracted and start surfing the internet — for holiday accommodationUnterkunftaccommodation, for example. I’m not supposed to be doing that on my work computer.  

Doesn’t everybody search for something online at work now and then?
Many people do. According to PersonnelToday.com, 47 per cent of UK employees think it’s OK to use the internet for personal affairs during work hours. Using a work computer for anything except work, however, can expose an organization to legal liability: to expose sb./ sth.hier: jmdn./etw. haftbar machenlegal liability — or worse. I could get into big trouble!

Just for searching for accommodation?
Yes. Earlier this year, a lady who had worked at a UK law firmAnwaltskanzleilaw firm for 24 years got fired for to browse sitesWebsites durchsuchen, auf Websites surfenbrowsing sites like Shoeaholics and EasyJet. Computer misuse isn’t limited to browsing the internet, however. Some offenceVergehenoffences are fairly obvious such as viewing pornographic material or cyberbullyingMobbing im Internetcyberbullying. Others are less so.

Let me guess some other offences: sending derogatoryabfälligderogatory comments about work through email or using your work computer for your side businessNebengeschäft(e)side business.
That’s right. And there’s one type of misuse that I to betwettenbet you wouldn’t guess: using a removable data-storage deviceGerätdevice or memory stick. Most organizations view that as the biggest single threat to their IT security.

True, I wouldn’t have guessed that. Are there more ways to avoid misusing your work computer?  
There are quite a few. And you can find them discussed in this issueAusgabeissue’s In the Zone section.

I’ll check it out. It was nice to chat with you, Tenley. Be sure to stay out of trouble!
Thanks, David. It will certainly be easier now that I’m back at the office.