grab, lost productivity is an issue. You can look a lot busier in front of screen surfing the net or partaking in a mudcat forum, than standing around the water cooler or having a coffee break. (It has become a major problem for large organizations - one of my friends was a network administrator noticed that huge email files (mostly silly mpeg movies) were clogging up the system and the company had to restrict use. I still get emails and often large joke type files from people who I know are at work. Now there are more and more who are not allowed to use their email for personal use.

mrs duck. recently the courts ruled in favour of the employer when it came to email privacy. If the email is written on the company computer or company account the employer has the right to read it.