"Internet monitoring in the workplace may put employers and employees at odds because both sides are trying to protect personal interests. Employees want to maintain privacy while employers want to ensure company resources aren't misused."
With the advancement of technology employers can monitor almost every second of time that their employees spend on their computer, both where they are going on the internet and how much time they are spending there. With this ability, many employees have raised many questions as to whether monitoring is really an ethical way to deal with the ongoing problem of internet misuse. Employees often question if monitoring an employee's every move on the internet is even legal. I mean after all every employee has a right to privacy, correct? Many employees have taken their employers to court over this issue of person privacy claiming that internet monitoring is a violation of their 4th amendment right. They claim that the monitoring could be equivalent to an illegal search and seizure of property.
While employees are screaming privacy, employers are screaming productivity. The two parties must come together to reach an agreement on the issues of misuse and monitoring. Employees must realize the negative impacts of internet misuse and employers must implement policies that are explained and accepted by all employees.
Source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/ethical-issues-employer-monitoring-internet-usage-12617.html
I don't know whether it is legal or not, but employees are getting paid to do their job. They are also using the company server which I think they should be monitored if need be. If it's about privacy, don't look it up on company computer. Either wait till you get home or use your phone.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that it is a privacy issue but on the other hand, the employees are there to work, not to play around or misuse the internet. If employees were not misusing the internet, then employers would not have to track everything that employees do 24/7. If you are not doing anything bad or against policy at work, then you should have no problem with your company watching your every move.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, the people that are suppose to be working for their job should be monitored or else nothing else would get done. If everybody was slacking and not doing their job there would no work actually getting done. Whether its an invasion of privacy or not, I do not think it is. When you are hired to do a job everyday you should not be doing anything else but that job, and in order to know for sure employees are monitored.
ReplyDeleteStudies have shown that people that get a break away from work to do what they want for a few minutes every little while they are more productive. Companies should grant a certain amount of time to allow employees to do as they wish as long as what they are doing isn't hurtful or inappropriate in regards to a business environment. Monitoring what people do shouldn't be an issue, because people shouldn't be doing anything they would care that people see at work. But people do all sorts of crazy things, for example a person got fired for e-mailing someone talking about how they were cheating on their spouse while at work. That's just ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I disagree I think it's the employers right to do this completely. I'd love to sit at work and do nothing but surf the web and get paid for it, but if it was my business, I wouldn't want others to do that. I think that the fear of a company monitoring your online movements and activity is completely ethical.
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