Big Brother is Watching: Workplace Monitoring; Workplace Legal Expert Robin Bond, Esq. Talks Trends, Tips for this Pervasive Issue.WAYNE, Pa. -- According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a recent study, 92% of employers conduct some form of workplace monitoring. Unlike Orwell's thought police, though, employers often believe they have good reasons to keep an eye on to watch. - Shak. See also: Eye workers -ensuring productivity and minimizing liability. But is "Big Brother" at work? Whereas traditional Internet filters block "unapproved un·ap·proved adj. Not approved or sanctioned: an unapproved vaccine; an unapproved protest march. " sites and content, the newest breed of Employee Internet Monitoring Analyzing traffic on the Internet. Monitoring is performed to determine packet volume for network configuration as well as to find out how employees are spending their time on the Internet. This is the first step in determining whether or not filtering should be added to the network. (EIM EIM Enterprise Incentive Management EIM Enterprise Information Management EIM Enterprise Identity Mapping (IBM) EIM Enterprise Instant Messaging EIM Employee Internet Management EIM European Institute for the Media ) software goes further: it records keystrokes, websites visited, emails, windows opened, applications run, instant messaging Exchanging text messages in real time between two or more people logged into a particular instant messaging (IM) service. Instant messaging is more interactive than e-mail because messages are sent immediately, whereas e-mail messages can be queued up in a mail server for seconds or , print jobs, and even captures actual screenshots of any computer in use on the network. "Given the large amount of time workers spend on the job, it's become commonplace to use the company computer for personal business," says Robin Bond, Esq., a Philadelphia employment lawyer and workplace legal expert. "But at the end of the day, the office computer belongs to the company, not you." Historically, courts have refused to recognize a strong right to individual privacy in the workplace. "Nonetheless, employers should be candid about workplace monitoring," warns Robin. "Failure to inform employees about computer use policies beforehand may expose an employer to a lawsuit for invasion of privacy invasion of privacy n. the intrusion into the personal life of another, without just cause, which can give the person whose privacy has been invaded a right to bring a lawsuit for damages against the person or entity that intruded. or violation of wire-tap laws." Robin suggests workers protect their privacy and limit the chance that they'll be disciplined or fired for personal Internet use: --Know your company's Internet Policy: what's permitted and what's forbidden! --The Internet is NOT private: remember - anything you do or say over the Internet (including email) is potentially available to the world. As a general rule, limit company email to business. --Think before you click: Before you type an email or check out a site, imagine your boss looking over your shoulder. Concludes Bond, "Your boss has every reason to expect you to devote your best efforts to getting your work done. Keep your personal emails and Internet use to a minimum and your productivity to a maximum. But keep an eye out for Big Brother...." For more tips on Employee Internet Monitoring or other workplace issues, visit www.RobinBond.com. |
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