Do you feel like someone is watching your every move at work? You are probably not overly paranoid.
According to the American Management Association, nearly 80 percent of major companies now monitor employees’ use of email, internet or phone: click here for ABC News piece. According to the article, written by Romy Ribitzky:
o The figure represents a sharp rise from 1997 when only 35% of companies kept tabs on their workers.
o Companies use this information to punish transgressions. More than a quarter of the companies surveyed said they have fire employees for misusing office email or the Internet.
o Typically, the larger the company, the more incentive it has to check up on its employees.
o Most of the companies tend to carry out spot checks rather than monitor workers constantly.
What do you think of all this? I spent years working for corporations, and now have spent years running a corporation. I think workers are bothered that their “privacy” is being invaded…but on company time, are you entitled to privacy? The corporation is paying you for your time. Aren’t they entitled to monitor that they are getting what they pay for? We can laugh about sending silly emails, or shopping online (or worse!), but when you do that, you are not honoring the commitment you made with your employer to actually work on company time. Of course, I understand the need to take a break now and then, and I’m sure these companies do, too. If companies fired any employee who sent personal emails or used the internet for anything other than work, the ranks would become pretty thin. But I don’t have a problem with the concept of a corporation protecting their investment by keeping a “digital eye” on things.
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