2010-03-19 14:43:01 -

It's March Madness time and once again, millions of office workers are watching the games online from behind their desks at work. And in between games, they’re comparing scores with family and friends on Facebook, Twitter and email.

But if you’re watching from work, you’re taking a big chance. More and more employers are monitoring their employees' use of company computers and disciplining those employees for inappropriate use.

Last year, more than 7.5 million people watched March Madness from a computer and this year’s tournament promises to draw an even bigger audience. At the same time, three out of every four U.S. workers who have a Facebook account use it at work, almost always for no business reason at all.

So it might

come as a real shock to a lot of office workers that they could actually lose their jobs over their office bracket-mania or social media surfing.

Terri Patak is a labor attorney at the Pittsburgh-based law firm of Dickie, McCamey & Chilcote, P.C., and can discuss the reasons why workers should think twice before using their office computer for something other than work.


NOTE TO EDITORS: To schedule an interview with Ms. Patak, call Bob Oltmanns at (412) 721-0236 or email at oltmanns@opr-group.com : mailto:oltmanns@opr-group.com .



OPR Group LLCBob Oltmanns, 412-721-0236 oltmanns@opr-group.com : mailto:oltmanns@opr-group.com