My readers might be surprised to learn that when I'm not wearing the burdensome mantle of technology guru, I have done and continue to do considerable study–both personal and academic–in the areas of human behavior and psychology.
In my quest for deeper knowledge, I have learned one thing for certain–human beings operate out of an incredibly complex tangle of longings, desires, drives, defenses and fears, as well as the inexplicable combination of nature and nurture.
I also have learned that in this life, it's what we do with that tangle of influences–how we steer our personal ship in the world despite our difficulties and shortcomings–that matters most. The way we comport ourselves is central to how others view us, to our success in life and to our personal happiness, assuming what we present to the rest of the world represents who we truly are. To sum it up, character counts.
So, why am I bringing this subject up here? It is precisely because I believe character counts not only for us as individuals but for the companies and agencies for whom we work.
An integral part of living in what we call a civilized society is managing information about ourselves in a responsible way. There are some things most anyone could say about his or her personal life that others would find shocking or off-putting. Most of us, however, have enough sense to limit such disclosures to those who need to know or have a right to know them. It is for this reason we sometimes stop others from revealing personal information with the acronym "TMI" (too much information) or "WTMI" (way too much information).
Certainly, we don't want to bring censure and disgrace upon ourselves. And for most of us, that goes for our employers and workplaces, as well. Yet, use of technologies such as personal e-mail and instant messaging in the workplace poses the threat of such embarrassing disclosure.
According to Steve Bridges, member of the Technology and Professional Risks Team of Aon's Financial Services Group, based in Chicago, personal use of technology in the workplace brings obvious risks, such as employees sending out confidential information, even if we're only sending it to ourselves at home.
"If you're using your Yahoo! or Gmail account within your corporate network, you're at risk," says Bridges. "Yahoo! or Gmail might not have the same security that the company does. Private or confidential information could get out that way."
