Georgia Tech Fires Wanda Wilson

Wanda Wilson was an administrative assistant at Georgia Tech's School of Electrical Engineering until September 2007. Wilson had her employment terminated in September 2007 after an official audit of her state issued credit card. Later, the school said she used the laptop computer and accessories to record sexual encounters, engage in sexually related chat room conversations and online gambling. Georgia Tech has General Work Rules that outline both major and minor rules of employment at Georgia Tech. Some of these violations are outlined in the excerpt of that policy below:

"Major Rule Violations

Major offenses include any willful, deliberate violation of Institute or safety rules of such a degree that continued employment of the individual may not be desirable. The following are examples of some offenses that may subject an employee to immediate discharge without warning:

* Deliberately abusing, destroying, damaging, or defacing Institute property or the property of others on Georgia Tech premises.

* Gambling, possession or use of liquor or narcotics, or the possession of firearms or other dangerous weapons on Institute premises.

* Taking Institute or other employee's property for one's own use.

* Sexual misconduct.

Minor Rule

Rule violations of a minor nature include violations that may affect the continuity, efficiency of safety or work and will not be tolerated if repeated. Minor rule violations may result in either verbal or written warnings to the employee; however, repeated violations could lead to suspension and possibly termination. The following are examples of minor rule violations that may result in either verbal or written warnings to the employee:

* Performing unauthorized personal work on Georgia Tech time.

* Using Institute resources for personal work.

The above lists are not intended to be all inclusive. Georgia is an employment at will state. Cause is not necessary to terminate employment."

Source: Georgia Tech Human Resources Discipline Policy

So, as you can see, Georgia Tech has some rules in place for their employees that prohibit the kind of conduct Ms. Wilson is accused of. In addition, much of the conduct she has been accused of is common sense, in my opinion, and does not provide a positive perception of GA Tech staff.

In my field I have managed employees, developed policies and procedures for staff, and enforced those same procedures. Internet usage and government/company credit card abuses are both very serious issues and undermine the credibility of the institution, not to mention impact the financial status as well. There are some steps that agencies and companies can take to eliminate these types of abuses in the workplace.

Statement of Penalties:

A statement of penalties outlines a list of types of inappropriate conduct/actions and the penalties associated with it such as:

Offense

Misappropriation of Government Property

First

Written Letter of Reprimand

Second

14-Day Suspension to Removal depending on severity

Should a statement of penalties be provided to en employee at orientation and they sign a document that they have received it and understand the contents therein, this will go far to safeguard and protect the company/agency should a disciplinary event occur.

Credit Card Usage:

Credit card abuse has been reported over the past couple of years and has caused the government and individual companies have to reflect on their policies and accountability practices. These policies should be very clear and outline at minimum, the following:

* Authorized Positions (i.e. managers, supervisors, purchasing specialists, etc.)

* Official Ethics training provided and signed off

* Monthly statement accountability and reconciliation

* Monthly certification of approved expenditures

* Random Audits

Annual Recertification and Ethics TrainingComputer and IT Systems Usage:

Most companies and government agencies have what they call a "Limited Use Policy". These policies suggest that employees can use the computers for limited personal use during official breaks, lunch breaks and personal emergencies. Many of these policies outline:

* Comprehensive policy on computer usage

* Orientation training and policy sign off

* Annual Refresher Training

* Random computer and network audits

* Inclusion of violations in the statement of penalties policy, etc.

Computer usage and system vulnerability are serious issues and can put an entire company at risk. Should an employee access Internet sites such as online gambling, pornographic, internet business sites, many of these forums are used to infiltrate IT systems and insert viruses. This, as you can imagine could put the financial aspects, security and personally identifiable information (PII) at risk for the company/agency and its employees. Not to mention the impact it could have on national security should someone be able to insert a virus or hack a system in the government.

These are serious offenses and hopefully you now have a better understanding of why. As an employee, I would encourage you to not use the computer systems or credit cards in your workplace if there is any doubt. If there is a doubt and you are unsure, send your manager/supervisor an e-mail prior to using the computer or credit card in a manner you are unsure about, and wait for their response. If they approve...then you are covered...if they don't...then stay clear! The rule of thumb I always keep and encourage employees to do the same...if there is any doubt at all...it is best to stay away and/or review your company policies and procedures.

Would I have sought termination of an employee who engaged in unlawful use of a government/company credit card, used official equipment to create and distribute pornography, engaged in sexual conversation via a chat room, and was involved in an online gambling operation using official property? The simple answer to that question is yes. I do not like to see anyone get fired as it has great and oftentimes lasting implications. However, as a manager/supervisor your responsibilities include serving your company by being a good steward with its time, resources, people and finances. If an employee willfully engages in inappropriate conduct that could affect the company, the office and the future success of the company/agency, it is time they look for employment elsewhere and hopefully learn from their indiscretions.

Sources:

The Atlanta Journal -Constitution
Georgia Tech Human Resources Discipline Policy