Employee surveillance increases
Even though there’s a growing trend for employees to work from home rather than in the office, that doesn’t mean employers can’t keep tabs on what they’re doing.
Employees who use a company server to access the Internet or use e-mail make it easy for employers to monitor them. In fact, in such cases, it’s just as straightforward for employers to see what telecommuters are up to as it is for them to check on what employees in the office are doing. New products are now coming on to the market that will allow employee monitoring even if workers aren’t logged into the company system.
With new technology, employers can block Internet sites, monitor what sites workers visit when they’re online, read employees’ e-mail, and count keystrokes. The ability to measure keystrokes enables employers to ensure that the employee is actually working.
A 2001 survey conducted by the American Management Association indicates that nearly 80 per cent of large companies monitor employee communications. That figure is twice as large as it was in 1997.
Employers should advise employees that the fact that they’re working at home rather than at the office does not afford them any additional guarantees of privacy.
Employees who use a company server to access the Internet or use e-mail make it easy for employers to monitor them. In fact, in such cases, it’s just as straightforward for employers to see what telecommuters are up to as it is for them to check on what employees in the office are doing. New products are now coming on to the market that will allow employee monitoring even if workers aren’t logged into the company system.
With new technology, employers can block Internet sites, monitor what sites workers visit when they’re online, read employees’ e-mail, and count keystrokes. The ability to measure keystrokes enables employers to ensure that the employee is actually working.
A 2001 survey conducted by the American Management Association indicates that nearly 80 per cent of large companies monitor employee communications. That figure is twice as large as it was in 1997.
Employers should advise employees that the fact that they’re working at home rather than at the office does not afford them any additional guarantees of privacy.
