By Andy McCue, 1 June 2004 11:50
NEWS The head of the Bank of Ireland has resigned after it was discovered he used his work PC to access pornographic websites.
Michael Soden's surfing habits were discovered during routine maintenance work on his PC by IT staff. The details were leaked to the Irish press, forcing the bank to go public on the matter.
Soden issued a personal statement announcing his resignation as Group CEO on the Bank of Ireland's website on Friday.
"I have taken this decision for personal reasons. This arises from access by me on my PC to internet sites that contain content that infringed the Group's policy on these matters," he said. "The content accessed was not illegal but did contain links to material of an adult nature. I now accept that accessing this material was inappropriate and would cause embarrassment to Bank of Ireland and to the people who work there."
The bank's board said it accepted Soden's resignation with regret and will make an announcement on his successor this week.
Comments
There are 15 comments. Join the discussion
1. John Stanhope
I can't believe that he had to resign. I do not know much about the man, but is it really worth losing the head of a bank just because he looked at some porn sites.
People should really get over things like this - it's just people having sex; we all do it!
2. Andy Wooles
This case further highlights the need to supplement company usage policies with appropriate education and training to ALL staff, including the author of the report and board-level employees.
In order for an enterprise to effectively protect itself from security breaches or possible legal action from inappropriate content,it requires a 'top-down' commitment to security. This means everyone from the CEO downwards understanding and complying with usage policies.
3. anonymous
Too right, porn is the word of evil. I think that the Bank of Ireland boss should had be sacked not allowing him to quit. This way, he won't be able to work anywhere again as it will be on his references. Hahaha.
4. Drew Edgar
Yet another win for the politically correct bigots!
So it's alright for him to buy porn from WH Smith & read it at lunchtime in the privacy of his office, but not to view similar material on his desktop PC!
It is the people who disclosed the facts who should go more than the CEO.
Meanwhile, in the UK we have the highest rate of bastard births in Europe, many illicitly conceived on office time or premises, & we positively encourage it via our tax & benefits system rather than condemn it!
A waste of a good man.
5. anonymous
Well there is irony for you, the man who masterminded the outsourcing deal with Bank of Ireland IT staff to HP. As was well documented, in general, staff were not happy about the transition. Looks like the IT department had the last laugh and the icing on the cake would be Mr Soden also instigated the policy re-write regarding internet and e-mail usage which spelt his downfall. Poetic justice? I couldn't possibly comment!
6. anonymous
If the bank's policy prohibited any employee to access adult material websites on the company's computers then of course he had to resign. It is not about what he was accessing it was about being a hypocrite and doing something which he reckoned was OK for him to do as he was the boss but was not OK for the workforce to do. Who wants to work for a boss with that sort of attitude. Go home mate and surf the net on you OWN pc in the privacy of your own home.
7. anonymous
Andy Wooles is spot on with his comments. Whether you are offended by adult websites or not is not really the issue. It is the breaking of company policy that has offended. Being the boss is no defence. I used to work in a bank and if I had done what he did it would have meant the sack for me. Why should it not apply to him? He is lucky to have left having resigned, and should re4ally have been sacked.
8. doofusmaximus
Payback is a bitch,
Said individual outsourced the banks IT to HP last year letting go all their own employees. It was a big controversy at the time. Would one of his own staff reported him ? Ironic
Hooo doggie
9. Jim Price
I can't believe some of the vindictive comments on this subject! OK, the guy was breaking the rules and was caught, can everyone in the IT depatment honestly say THEY haven't strayed a little, now and then? Let he (or she) who is without sin cast the first stone!
10. anonymous
Policies are there to be upheld by IT departments whether it be a workstation on the shopfloor or the CEO's office the same rules MUST apply.
Many senior employees feel they won't be found out, or the normal rules don't apply to them. In this case the glare of the public spotlight forced him out, in many businesses the situation is not the same.
He was foolish and has had to pay the price for that, but he is by no means alone.
11. James Robinson
Schoolboy error!. I can't believe that the Chief Exec of all people didn't think to access the porn from someone else's PC. The sales director would probably have had most of the sites stored in his favourites.
12. Nick Tee
This is absolutely ridiculous. The world has gone mad with political correctness...
If every person that visited a porno site had to resign, there would be a shortage of skilled labour in the market.
I do not agree with porn and I don't necessarily like banks, and certainly it would be differnt if it involved child porn, but who are we kidding to thing we are all whiter than white....
After all who refuses to go into WH Smith because they have adult mags on the top shelf?
All this shows is that the man was a fool - a fool for chucking his career down the drain for fear of a little criticism. I would of thought it far more important that he was an effective MD
God help us all...!
13. anonymous
A few phrases to fit,
The bigger they are the harder they fall.
People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
From a Proffessional view point:-
Whilst I agree that viewing pornography is a minor faux pas not a major crime (security issues aside). This was the man who wrote the rule book on internet access. No doubt he wouldnt have thought twice before dismissing any other member of staff for the same offence. In todays corporate climate viewing pornography in the work place is a high profile topic, with many companies taking such measures against lesser employees.
The fact that he was CEO of the company involved only makes matter worse, He is the man who has ultimate responsibility for the company he should be the epitome of all that the company is about, greater responsibility is part of what comes with the bigger pay packet.
On a lighter note,
Do you want your money looked after by a man who hasnt got the smarts to cover his tracks when handing his computer over to the guys he sold down the river?
Bit of a no brainer really, create a big fuss about internet access in the workplace, access pornography yourself and then hand the computer over to techies, who you sacked last year for maintenance without first covering your tracks.
14. anonymous
While this incident appears a bit of a devisive one, people should remember that firms don't generally provide IT resources with the intention that employees use them for "recreation" ! You wouldn't go out and buy "jazz mags" with the petty cash, would you ?
15. Steve James
This becomes even more disturbing, reading the other comments. It seems those with a "PC" view are too afraid to sign off who they are - "anonymous" just shows exactly what we all knew about that breed - Cowards who cannot stick by there convictions, hiding behind someone else or using anonymous...