The Miller Test

If you were developing an Internet policy for your company or organization, how would you define content inappropriate in the workplace in email or bulletin boards different than the Miller test?

The Miller Test is the standard used today by the Supreme Court in ruling known as Miller v. California. The Supreme Court uses the Miller Test in order to determine whether speech or expression can be labeled obscene, in which case it is not protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and can be prohibited. If I were developing an Internet policy for my company I would define inappropriate content as content that you do in your free time such as going on facebook, looking at gossip sights, and talking on your cell phone about what happened last night. All of these actions are considered an expression of speech but they are inappropriate in the workplace. The workplace is meant for work, not socializing. Yes, we all like to work in a warm environment so we make friends with co-workers but at the end of the day you are being paid for the work you have done, not socializing. I would make a list of what is acceptable in the workplace and send it out in a weekly reminder to all employees along with having a copy in the staff room or some other socializing spot as a friendly reminder.