The 30 percent of employers who have fired workers for internet misuse cite the following reasons: viewing, downloading, or uploading inappropriate/offensive conduct (84 percent); violation of any company policy (48 percent); excessive personal use (34 percent); and other reasons (9 percent), reports the American Management Association in its 2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey.

According to the survey, 28 percent of employers terminated workers for e-mail misuse, citing violation of company policy (64 percent); inappropriate or offensive language (62 percent); excessive personal use (26 percent); breach of confidentiality (22 percent); and other reasons (12 percent). The AMA reports a 27 percent increase in the number of companies blocking access to inappropriate websites since the last survey in 2001—65 percent of companies use blocking software, and 66 percent monitor internet connections.