The latest example: Domino’s Pizza.

Two employees in a Conover, N.C., store raised a stink recently after they recorded themselves doing disgusting things to food before it was delivered, and then put the video on YouTube.

The recording quickly racked up more than a million hits. The employees were fired, and police charged them with delivering prohibited foods. The employees later claimed it was all a prank and the food hadn’t been given to customers.

But even if the tampered food wasn’t actually given to customers, Domino’s is working hard to keep its public image from being damaged any further.

The company posted a video of its own, apologizing for the incident and discussing the steps it’s taking to keep something similar from happening (for example, re-examining hiring practices).

Oh, and possibly the worst part of the whole situation: The employees weren’t kids. They were 31 and 32 years old.

Almost 40% of employees say they’d consider changing jobs if it meant their new employer gave them access to more up-to-date computers, smartphones and other devices, according to a recent national survey by the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority.

Also, 37% said they’d switch companies for better training that helps keep them skilled in the latest technology.

Keeping current with technology is also a way to get the most from employees — 80% said that’s key for their productivity, and 78% said it helps them stay creative and innovative.

The bottom line: Companies may want to conduct a cost/benefit analysis to see if springing for more modern equipment could be a wise investment that boosts retention and increases employees’ potential.

Most expect there to be a glut of IT workers in the market soon as the big organizations either merge or get shut down by restructuring and acquisition.

For the top execs, the golden parachutes should keep former CIOs in the style to which they’ve become accustomed.

But for lower level IT employees, the going may be a bit tougher.

As firms consolidate or are acquired, it stands to reason that staffs will merge and many will be let go.

That means some excellent IT talent could hit the job market soon — at bargain basement prices.

Roughly 40% of employees surveyed by research firm In-Stat use a laptop for work that they purchased on their own.

Why? Many workers say they’re frustrated because they need laptops but their employers won’t pay for them. Others just want to work on their own personal computers.

Besides laptops, employees are also buying their own cell phones, PDAs and GPS devices for work-related purposes.

That causes problems when staff-owned devices connect to company networks, since they’re more susceptible to viruses and other security problems. The best solution? Managers should work with IT to be aware of what their employees are and aren’t allowed to bring into the workplace.

Roughly 637,000 laptops are lost at the country’s airports each year, according to recent study by the Ponemon Institute. That’s about 12,250 every week. About 65% of them are reclaimed, said the survey of airport officials.

That’s scary news, especially since most employer-owned laptops contain some kind of confidential data about the company, its customers, its employees or all three.

What’s the solution? Your company’s IT department can take steps to protect the data so it can’t be accessed by just anyone who comes across the computer.

Also, a little reminder about the basics before employees leave for a trip (i.e., “Don’t forget your laptop at the security checkpoint”) can go a long way.

That’s the word from a recent study conducted by R. Kelly Garrett, a professor at Ohio State University. The nuts and bolts of the study:

• “Everyone” uses the Web at work for personal reasons — from entry-level workers to senior managers.
• People surf at work to get valuable balancing their jobs other responsibilities.
• Taking quick breaks periodically to get personal stuff done helps employees focus more on job-related tasks.
• Installing filters to block some Web sites might backfire by lowering job satisfaction, and therefore, productivity.

If they’re at work and the answer’s yes, they’re probably cyberslacking — or, surfing the net for pleasure or personal reasons.

They have lots of company. Recent surveys found that employees spend nearly a fifth of their workday on personal Web activities.

You can hardly blame them.

Companies have supplied workers with a machine that’s a virtual gateway to the entire world.

Over 60% of workers say they fritter away time on the Web. About 34% of workers say personal Internet use is their top time-wasting activity.

Research shows that nearly one-third of e-mail messages workers send aren’t work-related.

And now, there are even Web sites that cater to cyberslackers:

• overheardintheoffice.com lets workers post and rate funny quotes overheard at work, and
• annoyingcoworker.com is a place where workers can rant about their fellow workers and bosses –- and even e-mail them anonymously.

But before your company imposes strict restrictions on personal Web time, remember that workers are often spending minutes doing chores that would take them hours out of the office.

And the break from work duties can also relieve stress and improve concentration in many employees.
But if you need to curtail cyberslacking, there’s software that will block overused sites, and monitoring software to keep track of extraordinary slackers.

A recent survey by staffing agency Spherion founds that about a third (32%) of employees listen to iPods and other music devices at work. And 79% of those folks said it improves their job satisfaction and productivity.

What’s interesting about that info is that the other 21% don’t get a productivity or satisfaction boost from listening to music, but do it anyway. A big chunk of them probably become less productive.

Data like that makes a good case for laying off of rules about headphones at work and focusing on performance instead. But some ground rules about how employees use those devices can prevent data security problems. For example:

1. No downloading mp3s at work. That can leave the company network open to virus attacks.
2. No connecting the devices to work computers. Transferring data between personal devices and work computers can create a back door through IT’s security controls.

A lot of companies look to current employees for promotions or lateral movements when there are jobs to fill. It can boost retention rates and save a lot of time and cash in the recruiting process.

But the problem is that not enough companies make it easy for employees to see open jobs or apply for them. Your intranet can help.

It’s as easy as keeping a section of company news and including updates about open positions, along with information about how to be considered. (Having a section of news that’s updated often is a good way to keep people checking the intranet, in general.)

Also, some companies have a dedicated section of the intranet that lists jobs and lets employees submit applications electronically.

Finally, posting the jobs on the intranet should be used in conjunction with other ways of getting the word out. You aren’t guaranteed to reach everyone in the company who might be interested in a different, but the goal is to inform as many people as possible.