The Internet has changed the way that business is done in virtually every industry around the world. Some of these changes are positive, while other evolutions have put both the employee and the organization into difficult situations. While the Internet can be used as a powerful tool of communication and commerce, it can also be used as a means of distraction and wasting time on a daily basis. Employees use the Internet to reach out to customers around the world, and they also use it to chat with their friends, visit various shopping sites, and simply surf aimlessly. Therefore, some organizations have felt compelled to keep an eye on their workers so that they have some assurance that everyone is theoretically being productive. Here are a few thoughts on the specific ethics of monitoring employee Internet use in the workplace.
Big brother
When companies monitor their employees, it can feel like the organization is invading the privacy of the worker, even if it is technically legal. The atmosphere can very quickly shift to an environment of distrust, particularly if the employees are aware of the monitoring practices. Granted, some companies like their employees to be a bit on edge, as they view it as a way to keep them accountable to their work on a daily basis. Of course, this can make the employees feel like "Big Brother" is watching over them, as depicted in George Orwell's book, "1984."
You are not at home
From an organizational standpoint, there is the issue of environment. When an employee comes to work, they are on organizational turf. In other words, the office space, phones, computers, and other equipment does not belong to the worker. All of these elements can feel like they belong to the individual employee, but technically speaking the person is on "company time." Therefore, the company can take certain steps to make sure that their people are working throughout the day. Internet monitoring may not be the best strategy for employee morale, but from an ethical standpoint the company is not necessarily required to make employees feel safe in their jobs.
Different mediums and big picture analysis
Overall, people have to keep in mind that the Internet is simply another medium of communication. Workers are not supposed to spend excess time on the Internet in the same way that they are not supposed to make a high number of personal phone calls or take extended breaks throughout the day. In most organizations, people are allowed to use the Internet for a bit of personal business during the day. As long as people are getting their work done, companies are not terribly concerned if workers take a break every once in a while. The ethics of monitoring employees is actually an element of a bigger issue. A policy of monitoring may make people uncomfortable, but people have to keep in mind that an employer can certainly expect their employees to work throughout the day. How the company accomplishes this has a great deal of variance. Organizations can used monitoring to get this done. Whether they "should" or not is sometimes a completely different issue.