Hewlett-Packard has suspended more than 100 employees on full pay in the UK and Ireland and started an investigation into the misuse of its corporate e-mail system to circulate pornographic material, according to a report by TheRegister.co.uk.

Fifteen suspects of gross misconduct were escorted from the company’s building yesterday. Also, suspects’ laptops were taken away for further investigation.

HP refused to comment in detail on the situation, but said in a statement sent to The Register that “once the results of the investigation are available, HP will, where necessary, apply its standard disciplinary processes and take appropriate action.”

At the same time, a survey conducted by Which? Online has found that almost three-quarters of office employees use the internet for personal reasons while at work.

E-mailing friends and family seems to be the most popular activity. Many employees also use the internet at work to search for news, travel and leisure information. Only 14% of the sample admitted “feeling guilty” about web surfing for personal reasons at work.

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