Internet Privacy in the Workplace

There are various types of electronic monitoring which can be used at a company. Increasingly common is the use of computerbased monitoring in the workplace. The most comprehensive of this type of monitoring tracks each and every keystroke and mouse click that a user inputs from their personal computer or workstation. Most keystroke monitoring systems permit employers to review how employees are using workplace computers and the various software programs available to them. Critics point out, however, that keystroke monitoring can also help employers to "listen in" on an employees' word processing program, and determine whether the employee is writing a personal letter or a business proposal (Buss 45).

Employers can also monitor the Web sites that employees are visiting. Increasingly, Internet sites are making this easier to do since they often install "cookies" on the computers which access individual sites, or maintain a history file. Since most employees who acc

. . .
essive personal tasks. However, critics of this technique argue that employers should base their decisions on employee performance, not monitoring, and that reading an employee's e-mail is tantamount to listening to an employee's phone conversations despite the good intention of the employer. Telephone monitoring is also becoming increasingly common. Telemarketers and customer support personnel are often well aware that their phone calls may be monitored, and those who call these individuals are used to the warning that their conversation may be monitored in order to ensure better customer service. However, such monitoring can also be used to track whether personal phone calls are being made, and whether the employee is offering defamatory or even simple negative information about the company or its products (Deck 6). Companies have long tracked long distance phone calls made by employees on company phones in order to recover the costs from employees. For many companies, this is a simple way to let employees know that while personal phone calls are permitted--even long distance ones--the employee is expected to exercise reasonable judgment and to pay the company for the call after it is completed. Although long distance rat
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Postal Service, Increasingly Internet, MONITORING Despite, MORAL/ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS, TYPES MONITORING, RAMIFICATIONS Legally, CONCLUSION Employee, George Orwell, phone calls, Security Management, Computerworld Apr, employee monitoring, personal phone calls, personal phone, software programs, increasingly common, visiting sites, determine employees, types monitoring, reading e-mail, employers seeking, various software programs,
Approximate Word count = 1540
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Internet Privacy in the Workplace