electronic+employee+monitoring

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ELECTRONIC EMPLOYEE MONITORING An Overview (ie.** //What it is...//**)**__
 * Electronic Employee Monitoring (also known as EEM) is defined as:** Remotely and Electronically surveilling the actions and communications of employees, in an office, or professional setting.

**Examples of this include:** -Tracking and Recording Employees' Internet Navigation -Control of data sent over/through office network and subsequent access to emails and instant messages (IMs) -Using [|GPS Tracking] devices to [|track the geophysical location of employees] -Real-Time surveillance of PC activity 

In addition to protecting the organization’s computer systems from the inadvertent downloading of spyware, viruses and trojans, employers have plenty of valid reasons for wanting to monitor employees’ Internet and email activities, including:
 * Why is Monitoring Really Necessary?**
 * Maintaining the company’s reputation and image
 * Maintaining employee productivity
 * Preventing and discouraging sexual or other illegal workplace harassment
 * Preventing possible defamation liability
 * Preventing employee disclosures of trade secrets and other confidential information; protecting intellectual property
 * Avoiding potential copyright infringement that could arise from employees illegally downloading software, etc.

 

Invasion of Privacy

"The rapidly increasing use of computers in the workplace has given employers the ability to easily track an employee's actions throughout the workday. Activities can be continuously monitored without the employee's knowledge and used to evaluate his performance. This new technology brings up several ethical issues concerning both privacy and business ethics." (http://www.cs.rpi.edu/academics/courses/fall00/ethics/papers/kimbab.html)

"The Employment Code of Practice states that employees should be informed if they are being monitored; have a right to respect for their autonomy and privacy in the workplace; and have a right to expect a degree of trust from their employers."(http://www.cs.rpi.edu/academics/courses/fall00/ethics/papers/kimbab.html)

__Advantages__ By invading privacy through employee monitoring, Employers are able to: -Make sure employees maintain focus and productivity during office hours -Ensure that office resources are not being abused (ie. using offices phones, fax machines or emails for other purposes than work) -Assess their employees, commending those who work well and/or penalizing those who do not __Disadvantages__ -Everyone has a right to privacy, monitoring employees is a form of privacy invasion, especially if employees are not informed that they are being monitored -Information sent over an office network may contain private information that employees would wish remain undisclosed -Employers face lawsuits (obviously, Invasion-Of-Privacy claims) if their employees are not informed about electronic monitoring

__Solutions for Employers__ "Lawyers generally advise that one way for employers to avoid liability for monitoring employees online activities is to take all necessary steps to eliminate any reasonable expectation of privacy that employees may have concerning their use of company e-mail and other communications systems." (http://www.copiatech.com/balancing-employee-monitoring-and-privacy-laws/)
 * Remind employees that their actions are being monitored
 * Hold meetings with employees who are found to be abusing company policy
 * Seek advice from a lawyer to ensure that any and all measures of electronic employment monitoring are legal

__Solutions for employees__
 * Bring a personal cell phone as well as a company-provided phone, in case personal calls are necessary at any point during the day
 * Don't watch porn at work!
 * Personal communications (parents, family, friends) should take place during breaks
 * Any non-work related emails, text messages or phone calls that take place outside of coffee or lunch breaks should be notified to the employer, by the employee, to avoid suspiscion