Internet monitoring consider the best solution for companies to prevent misbehaving employees as long as the monitoring has been for legitimate business reasons such as, cost reduction, safeguarding company information, maintaining a professional and comfortable workplace, upholding a company’s ethical values, and reduce liability.
On the other hand internet monitoring done for the following reasons, is considered unethical and typically rejected as reason for monitoring for example, targeting a specific employee solely for the purpose of termination, viewing personal data of the employee not relevant to work, application of personal rather than business moral and ethical standard, and for personal gain.
I think this blog makes an excellent point. I am currently interning for a company that does not monitor internet use of employees. This summer, I held an internship with a company that monitored very strictly. Having experience with both ends of the spectrum, I definitely can say a tradeoff definitely exists between the two . I think it depends on the individual person and there work ethic. Personally, I am a very independent and hard working individual. I have always hated authority or things I have to do out of obligation. When things are my own choice, I usually have a lot better attitude and am more willing to work harder. However, I can also see why some employers feel the need to regulate. I think the decision needs to be made by each individual management in a company based on their individual employees and their work ethics and attitudes.
ReplyDeleteI support the monitoring of employees. When you are at work, you are being paid to accomplish a task. If you are using company time for personal matters, you are stealing from the company. If a company has given you a computer to use, they have a right to monitor what is done on it. It is the company's computer, after all.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that employees should be made aware of this. I think companies need to tell their employees that they are being monitored.
I believe that monitoring of employees is needed. When you are work you are there to work on the task at hand. Employees are being paid hourly or yearly to put all their effort at their company of work. In today’s word social networks online distract people. Time being sent socializing to others could be spent getting work done. It’s very important that companies watch over employees while there are on clock at work.
ReplyDeleteEven though the company could potentially target an employee for their misuse of the internet, it should not even be an argument. The company owns the computers so if the standards they set are broken , then termination should be in order if they want. Just do not misuse the companies computers and you will not be terminated even if they are targeting you. An easy way to prevent it is using your phone or the internet or bring your own personal computer if the company doesn't mind it
ReplyDeleteI also believe that monitoring of employees internet use is a good idea. When I am a manager or own my own business some day I want to make sure that I am not paying employees to do anything that is not productive. And as far as targeting an employee in the state of North Carolina we are a right to work state meaning that employees can work somewhere without joining a union. So in a state like ours I believe that monitoring an employees internet use probably is a waste of time for the manager. Because in our state a company can fire someone for being unproductive. However in we all know that union workers don't work as hard as non union workers because union workers are what I like to call life long employees. They will never own their own business so they don't ever take being efficient at work into account. From my experience in dealing with union workers they always want to do as little work as possible and get paid as much as possible. Hence they are life long employees.
ReplyDeleteSo everyone who may be a business owner or a manager one day better make sure that its in the union contract that you can monitor an employees internet use at work because if its not in the union contract then you can't do it.
I believe that monitoring anything has its pros and cons. when you monitor someone, especially in the workplace it gives them the feeling that they arent trusted. but the benefit is that you will find employees who do not partake a=in these activities so if you can take the time to weed through the bad, it will benefit your company immensely.
ReplyDeleteI think that employers should have some sort of system that can flag when employees are on bad websites.. they can see what websites they are on and decide whether it is acceptable or not. I think that being able to see what the employees are doing to a certain extent but I believe that if the boss can go onto a website the employers should be able to as well.
ReplyDeleteMonitoring employee internet conduct could most definitely hurt the employee. I believe that it might be a necessity in order to terminate employees that in deserve it for lack of better words. For instance people who spend all day goofing off and arent productie or employees that are viewing inappropriate websites at work. However, there is a fine line where monitoring employees could turn into a malicious attempt to target someone for the soul purpose of getting them fired. I am interested to know what kind of standards would be put in place to ensure that this type of targeting does not happen.To do so a certain amount of employee internet misuse would have to be deemed acceptable.
ReplyDeleteAlyssaDigby, Dachs, lbradbu1, Snavas1, Raymond, etull, Quinesha Dowtin, thank you all for your comments and sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteSnavas1, I Think your solution is the best way to be safe and to keep a good job, but what if the monitoring was misused for a personal gain or harassment. What an employee should do in this situation?