Two fire inspectors in Bridgeport, Connecticut were required to travel to different buildings to perform their inspections. They drove city-owned vehicles which were equipped with GPS systems.

But the navigation tools weren’t there to help the employees get around — they were used by the city to monitor where the employees were when they were on duty. The workers weren’t told the devices were installed.

The two employees were disciplined after the GPS showed they took unauthorized breaks between jobs. They sued, claiming the city violated a Connecticut law requiring employers to notify employees that their activities are being monitored electronically.

But the state supreme court tossed the case. Why? The law doesn’t allow employees to sue — violations must be brought before the state labor commissioner, who has the power to levy a fine of up to $500 for the first offense.

Though the city managed to avoid getting sued, it could still be fined for the monitoring.

In addition to Connecticut, Delaware also has a law on the books prohibiting monitoring of employees’ “telephone transmissions, electronic mail or Internet usage” without notification. Other states, such as Pennsylvania, New York and Massachusetts, have similar laws pending.

Regardless of the laws in your state, most experts recommend telling employees you plan to monitor their computer use. In fact, being aware the company is watching could be enough to deter most employees from breaking computer use policies.

Cite: Gerardi v. City of Bridgeport

Nearly one-third (32%) of IT employers plan to increase hiring this year, according to a recent CareerBuilder survey. That could cause retention difficulties as IT staffers weigh offers from other companies.

The best way to avoid a mad rush for the door? For employers that can’t afford to increase pay, the answer may lie in increasing no-cost benefits. Of the businesses surveyed by CareerBuilder, many plan to increase benefits such as:

1. flexible scheduling (73%)
2. telecommuting options (67%), and
3. compressed work weeks (36%).

Corporate compliance and ethics expert Doug Cornelius has collected 144 examples of employers’ social networking policies. You can read them here.

The sample policies range in length and level of detail from the Red Cross’s large list of tips on how employees can blog for the good of the organization to the Shepherd Law Group’s two-word suggestion (”Be professional.”).

With many employers tackling the issue of social networking in the workplace, it could help to check out what other firms are doing.

According to a survey by security software developer Symantec, half of IT managers say they don’t have enough workers. Also, 18% said that their departments were extremely understaffed.

For IT, the issue goes beyond morale and burnout. The big problem: Routine data security policies might be neglected as IT employees juggle the increased work on their plates.

That doesn’t mean IT should be exempt from cutbacks, but it shows why it’s important for HR and other decision makers to work closely with the IT director when making staffing decisions that could affect the company’s security.

1. Are you reliable? — If the interview process is disorganized, candidates will worry about what it’s like to work in your office.
2. Can the manager make a decision? — People don’t want to work for bosses who avoid taking action. Don’t let hesitation about a hiring decision convey that quality.
3. Will they get along with everyone? — Interviewers should keep in mind that candidates are considering if they’d enjoy spending eight hours a day with them.
4. Are you honest? — Smart candidates can see through sales-type tactics that ignore the less attractive aspects of the job.
5. Do you leave them in the dark? — If candidates aren’t told they’re no longer being considered, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to tap into them for a future opening.

While performing routine computer maintenance, the IT staff at a fire department discovered that an employee had been watching “inappropriate” videos at work. They weren’t pornographic, but they were violent and contained profanity.

After an investigation, the employee was fired. He sued for wrongful termination, claiming the department never told employees they couldn’t watch Internet videos at work.

The closest thing the department had was a general ethics policy, which said employees could be fired for “malfeasance, misconduct in office, gross neglect of duty, gross immorality, or habitual drunkenness.”

The employer claimed watching inappropriate material in the workplace constituted malfeasance. But the judge didn’t buy it. He said there too many gray areas in the policy — for one thing, it never mentioned computer use. And further, some videos may seem inappropriate to some people, but not to others.

Of course, only public or union employees can sue for “wrongful termination,” but terminations based on private companies’ unclear policies can be challenged in other ways.

Especially with personal Internet use being a constant possibility at work, it’s a good idea to come up with a strong policy that lays out what’s inappropriate.

Cite: Bowman v. Butler Township

The Catholic Church.

Last week, Pope Benedict XVI released a message urging priests to spread the holy word through blogs and other Web sites, Computerworld reports.

The Vatican also created its own YouTube page, featuring videos of the Pope and other related items.

In his message, Benedict said new technology “can open up broad new vistas” to reach people. Sounds like words marketers and recruiters can take to heart.

The FBI recently advised computer users to be aware of e-mails claiming to be from charities.

One such e-mail currently circulating looks like it’s from the Red Cross. Any money “donated” via the provided link ends up in the pockets of cyberthieves.

Some advice from the FBI you can pass on to employees:

• Donate directly to known charities via their Web sites
• Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mails or click on links
• Be skeptical of any e-mails claiming to be from victims, and
• Look out for e-mails offering pictures of the disaster site – the attachments may contain viruses.

After a major security attack on Microsoft’s browser was revealed, the French and German governments urged computer users to find an alternative.

In the attack, folks using Internet Explorer 6 unknowingly downloaded a virus from a compromised Web site, which gained control of the user’s computer and stole sensitive information.

IE is the most popular browser on the market (by a wide margin), which is why it’s the most susceptible to viruses — hackers target attacks to reach the highest number of victims.

The most popular alternative is Mozilla Firefox, with Google’s Chrome rapidly gaining market share.

Talk to your IT department about possibly making a change to keep your company safe.

On Jan. 26, the Department of Transportation announced new guidelines that prohibits texting by drivers of commercial vehicles, such as trucks, buses and vans.

The rule applies to any interstate truck drivers and commercial bus and van drivers who carry more than eight passengers. Drivers can be fined up to $2,750.

Businesses should warn covered drivers about the new fine. Companies should also think about drafting their own texting-while-driving policy to help prevent accidents for which the employer can be held liable.