Internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace

Abstract

Purpose

This paper seeks to overview the issues, concerns and challenges relating to internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Using psychological literature, the paper outlines a number of important and inter‐related areas including brief overviews of internet abuse, and the most extreme form of internet abuse in the workplace (i.e. internet addiction).

Findings

The paper reveals that internet abuse is a relatively neglected area of research and that internet abuse is a potentially serious cause of concern for employers. It also highlights that there are many different kinds of internet abuse in the workplace (e.g. cybersexual internet abuse, and online friendship/relationship abuse, internet activity abuse, online information abuse, criminal internet abuse). It is concluded that internet abuse has the potential to be a serious occupational issue.

Research limitations/implications

The empirical base for the paper was based on a relatively small number of peer‐reviewed papers and relies heavily on the author's own work in the area.

Practical implications

Using the findings of the psychological literature, some guidance for managers on the issue of internet abuse in the workplace are presented.

Originality/value

Research on internet abuse and internet addiction is sparse and there is very little in the empirical literature concerning implications internet abuse in the workplace.

Citation

Griffiths, M. (2010), "Internet abuse and internet addiction in the workplace", Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 22 No. 7, pp. 463-472. https://doi.org/10.1108/13665621011071127