hp fires 2 and suspends 150 for email abuse

AS if HP doesnt have enough on their plate with the compaq merger...

HP Fires Two, Suspends 150, for Email Abuse
Wed Jul 17,11:41 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Computer and printer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. has suspended approximately 150 staff in Britain and Ireland and dismissed two for inappropriate use of company email, the company said on Wednesday. It would not say in detail what they did wrong, but the move comes as firms are widely cracking down on employees' use of email to distribute pornography and tasteless jokes.

The fate of the suspended full-time employees will be determined following a company investigation, a spokeswoman said. HP said approximately 60 permanent employees and 90 contract staff have been suspended.

A majority of the contract employees, many of which were outsourced from other companies, have been asked to leave HP offices, the company said.

"HP can confirm that this involves the viewing and sharing of unauthorized and inappropriate material," a statement from HP said.

Jim Kent, general manager for HP in the UK and Ireland, said two employees in a Scotland office have been dismissed so far. He added that HP considers it a company violation, but not a criminal matter.

Looks like HP is trying to weed out people to ease the merger process and reduce layoff #'s.

Yeah, no kidding. Sounds like they're really trying to make things seem better than they really are.

I'm willing to bet plenty more are to come.

When I was working at Earthlink, they canned a bunch of folks after they created a hidden email list to bitch about their management. Even canned a senior and hardworking guy when he simply posted "Quit bitching, Shut up, and get to work and take me off this list" They walked him and 15 others out the same day.

Corporate America is an evil world. Just goes to show you that people are watching your traffic, your email and you --all the time. The next thing you know the ministry of peace will spring up and they'll be torturing Wisnton Smith.

Email abuse was a preferred method of shedding undesirables at a previous employer of mine, second only to 'browsing inappropriate websites' ie "if it isn't Microsoft KB or the company website, it's inappropriate." If it had been enforced even-handedly, the entire staff (630 peeps) would have been fired weekly.