by Michael Cronin

Created on: November 29, 2010

An individual’s right to privacy does not apply to the workplace. As an employer is paying an employee for their time, they get to monitor, and yes, also tell you what to do while they are paying you for your time. If you are doing what you are supposed to be doing, then there is nothing to worry about. The idea that it is an ethical concern to some is a little troubling. It is not ethical for an employee to misuse company time.

Some companies have even gone as far as to monitor any device that you use for business related purposes, even if the company doesn’t provide it to an employee. For example, a woman that used her personal smart phone to answer work e-mail had that personal phone remotely wiped by the IT department where she worked. She was traveling when the phone went black and all of the data and contact info that she had stored on the phone was gone. The IT department claimed that it was a mistake, but the situation demonstrated that it could be done.

Monitoring internet usage can cut down on potential sexual harassment lawsuits. Under the definition of sexual harassment, if someone sees something on your computer monitor that makes them feel uncomfortable, you don’t even have to be prompting them to look at it in order for it to be considered sexual harassment. In this way, it is actually a liability for companies and it would be inappropriate to not monitor the internet usage of their employees. Casual surfing of the internet could arguably considered theft because the individual is being paid to perform a function that they are not performing. Therefore it can be looked upon as stealing company time. Most companies don’t just stop at monitoring internet usage.

Many companies in large office buildings issue keycards that have to be scanned several times, even after the employee has used it to enter the building. The card must sometimes be used to enter the floor that the employee works on, then again to enter the bathroom, etc. This way the employer can monitor where you are inside the building if they wanted to. This combined with the increasing popular addition of a workforce management team to many offices means that literally every minute of your workday has to be accounted for. The technology is out there, and your employers are using it.

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