Did you know that it's legal for your boss to spy on you while you're working? According to an article in PC Magazine, 66% of all employers monitor Internet use. One third of them have fired an employee for visiting sites like Facebook or playing games online. Other employers will read their employees' email to make sure they are not trading private information. Since employers own the machines, they can load tracking software that will track instant messages or even track each key hit by the employee.
Read the full article
here . You can choose from the following questions if you're having trouble coming up with a response on your own:
1) What are some of the products employers can use to track employee Internet access? What features do these products offer?
2) Do you know if your employer tracks your movement online? If your employer tracks, what information do they look at?
3) Did you have to sign an Acceptable Use Policy when you were hired? If so, what did it contain?
26 comments:
As far as the "employee spying" I feel that if you are on the employer's time clock, you should devote your full attention to the job. If, however, you are on your lunch hour, and have your own laptop, then I feel that should be off limits.
Employers have every right to watch what you do on their clock. If you are getting paid and doing your job then "employee spying" should not phase you. Every job I have had placed camera's everywhere and I eventually forgot they were there and had no problem because I did what I had to do while I was getting paid. On your own time, off the clock spying is unacceptable. And for computer use, if you don't want your employer to know what you are doing online on your own time don't use a company computer or lab top. It's their property and it is yours to use for work and they can take it back when ever they want.
I agree with you. An employer has every right to check out your online activity, during working hours.
That is like reading notes on your personal desk. I have to say "I don't agree", unless every employee signs a statement agreeing to have personal mail read. I do know of a company that the administrator watched video cameras and read other's emails and would laugh about it...And he was paid to do what?
I know for a fact that certain employee's felt that their privacy was violated. How things become so out of control, and they get away with it because of upper managment.
Employers do have every right to see what your doing while your working in fact most employers have handbooks in which you HAVE to abide by even if you don't sign anything, and so of those handbooks include managers being able to access your computer while you are on it.
I agree that employers have the right to monitor and know what you are doing on THEIR equipment on THEIR time. I'm on both sides of the coin - an employer with our business, and an employee at my job - so I can see both sides. We've had employees change passwords or crash our computers and then leave - which made mountains of work for us. We've had viruses go through our whole system due to infected downloads that employees have received. Why should an employer be expected to spend thousands of dollars just so an employee can have the luxury of chatting and receiving e-mails. It is a very expensive situation for the employer.
I also understand the employee side, but I don't need to download music or files while at work, I can wait until I'm home to do that. I do check my personal e-mail at work, but I go on-line and don't ever open pictures or files or save anything to the computer. I also learned last night at class to delete temporary internet files, which I will start doing immediately.
Again, technology is a whole new area of legal-ease. I'm sure we'll have many more rules and regulations as technology changes. This is only the beginning......
*Marsha* It is the beginning. Everything is going to be ran by technology sooner or later.
Employee spying can save the employer money. Even with other stuff, I have been a manager several times and people don't care as much about the things that are their employer's because they didn't pay for them. I am not saying everyone is like this, but a lot of people I have worked with thought it was funny if something broke that they didn't need at work. Employee spying could prevent carelessness.
I agree to a point with some of the statements posted after my comment, but,but not all,Having worked in both roles, manager and employee, there has to be a limit of trust to gain an employee's trust and respect. "Spying on the other hand", is grade school.,most companies and even small business's have protected software to avoid system crash. I thin the situation is more on what are employee's doing on the business time.
*Yvonne*
I agree with you, regarding what employees are doing on employers time. Unfortunately, what comes in to play is 'work ethics' and a good old fashioned work 'honesty'. It would be nice if employees took 'ownership' of their jobs and and really cared about doing a good job. If you really want to look at it, it goes back to home-life and what we are teaching our children. As a nation, we really need to hang on to ethics and honesty, they are the backbone of our nation. And as Prof Schwarz said tonight, it's a shame that a teacher comes into a job with expecations and then have to, over time, lower those expectations. It's hurting us as a nation and as a world power. Okay, I'll get off my soap box now, but if you really want to develope these traits, they have to start at home.....(my opinion of course).
@Jaime,
Did you know there's a camera in the classroom?
@Yvonne,
My biggest concern with video cameras is who is watching the video. Let's just say someone in the MIS department becomes infatuated with a professor or a student. They could spend hours watching video without the victim having any idea that he/she is being watched.
Well...Americans do waste an average of two hours a day at work.
http://www.salary.com/aboutus/layoutscripts/abtl_default.asp?tab=abt&cat=cat012&ser=ser041&part=Par485
Yes, there are cameras all over the school, I am told even in some of the parking lots, the only place the cameras can not see is in the stairways of the older buildings and of course the bathrooms.
I can understand a concern for someone in MIS became infatuated with a professor or student but unfortunately that can happen in any situation, the cameras just make it easier. Think about it is safer for someone to be watching a camera than actually hiding in the dark watching you and you don't notice. I don't mind the cameras in public places at all, I have nothing to hide I am only human. In my experience someone in that state of mind usually would do more than watch a camera.
I believe cameras in the work place are necessary in today's work place.Employees at my last job were stealing out of other employees lockers, but thanks to a hidden camera they were caught and terminated.
Ok so you do some work then surf the net. Do some work work then check your face book. Is that a crime?? What happened to the old saying "If you work you play hard" Some employers demand so much out of their employees and dont give them christmas bonus' or good benefits so whats the big deal if they surf the web a little?
While on the "clock" and using propiroty software and equipment, the only work should be job related. I laugh when the "black Friday" is followed by the internet Monday sales. I would not want to pay for a employee or construction worker at my home who did other work while I was pying him. this si the way we should view this. The same is for the cell phones , they should not be on at work.
Yes I realized thta there are cameras in all of the rooms in this WeST building.
Should we all amile and wave? This is obvioulsy a response to the HS and college shootings.
I suppose as long as you are not doing anything that you aren't afraid of being seen, it doesn't matter. It is for our protection, after all
At my place of work, everyone did recenlty sign a user policy due to a staff member logging in a few hundred hours on match.com instead of providing patient care. Our access of the internet is now limited & some are given quota time. This allows one to use 10 minutes of internet on an acceptable site. I feel if it's not work related, we really should be mindful of employer time.
I was not an abuser of the internet, but now everyone pays the price due to the internet hog, it will now be hard for me to keep an eye Rvcc email & ebay bids..oh well.
I meant to also add my employer even fired a staff member for emailing her RESUME on company time & even records our every minute on the phone. This has come back to haunt a few who stated they called patients with instructions and/or results but actually hadn't. I keep my tone nice and sweet while on the company phone & save personal calls for the cell.
@Jaime,
I wonder if it's because you're younger that you don't care about the cameras. After all, you've had technology around you your entire life.
I, on the other hand, was around before security cameras were prevalent.
On the other hand, it could just be a difference in personalities and priorities. Who knows?
@Gwen,
Why doesn't your company just block Match.com? They obviously have people watching the employees' online activities if they know one of your co-workers sent out a resume on company time
You just have to think, the camera's lean more towards our safety not to really spy. Examples are: I worked at a convenience store alone and my boss's could see everything was ok at there other company. A also worked at a kennel bathing dog's and there was a camera for my safety and the animals safety. Scenario: I could have had a dog on a grooming table and passed out and the dog could have fell off and broke it's legs. Or I could have been bathing an aggressive dog that started attacking me. Without the camera's no one can respond quickly, it might be too late. And if they are there for spying, you shouldn't feel uncomfortable if your not doing anything wrong and the boss needs to get a life.
Im only 19, I wont have a full time job until I get out of school. The thing that I dont get is why people grow so impatient. I'd rather have my job, than put in on the line just to do something on the internet. Especially, since I could have done whatever I needed to do when I got home from work.
I think that companies have the right to see what their people that work for them look at while at work. They are getting paid and should be doing what is asked of them in their job description. Maybe companies can write up people that abuse the privilege of using the internet while working. I think that today in the 21st century with the new age of social and networking sites, companies will have a hard time keeping up with what people that work for them look at.
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