The state Personnel Commission approved the new regulation unanimously in response to a growing demand from corporations for more control over instances of employee Internet abuse.
The new regulation is aimed at Internet content that features any description or representation of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement or sadomasochistic abuse.
Nevada employees found viewing this type of Internet content can be fired. The new regulation also makes having sex on the job or sexual harassment grounds for immediate dismissal.
All firings are now considered legally justified after the first offense, whereas previously, employers had to follow several steps before being able to execute a legal firing that would stand up in court.
In a similar move, the California state Assembly unanimously approved a bill that would impose large fines on employees who view pornography at work on state-owned computers. Under the terms of the bill, violators could be fined up to $1,000.
Managers who suspect a state worker of viewing adult material are first required to investigate the case before turning it over to the state Attorney General or district attorneys for prosecution.
The issue of viewing adult material on state time was first introduced by the California Family Alliance, a Christian-based lobbying group based in Sacramento, Calif.
The bill, AB 546, currently awaits Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s signature.
Several studies have determined that more than half of all spyware on company networks originates from employees accessing porn and gambling websites on the job.
