∞ What You Need to know...∞

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      As posted by Erwin A. Alampay, Ph.D. And Ma. Regina M. Hechanova, Ph.D., Contributors of the Philippine Daily Inquirer about the issue Monitoring employee use of Internet: Employers’ perspective that the “THE EMERGENCE OF NEW and emerging information and communication technologies can no longer be ignored by organizations. Whether organizations provide it on their own or not, people are bringing these technologies to the workplace.”

  According to Bahaudin Mujtaba (D.B.A. with International and Human Resource Management specialties) of Nova Southeastern University, Employee monitoring, due to the increase in cyber loafing and lawsuits, has become more widespread and much easier with the use of new and cheaper technologies. Both employers and employees are concerned with the ethical implications of constant monitoring. While employers use monitoring devices to keep track of their employees’ actions and productivity, their employees feel that too much monitoring is an invasion of their privacy. Thus, the ethics of monitoring employees is explored and current practices are discussed. This document further provides suggestions for reducing cyber loafing and encourages institutions to create and effectively communicate ethical standards for employee monitoring in their firms. The author has included actual samples of employees’ perceptions and feelings from the surveys and discussions on being monitored.

The Ethics of Employee Monitoring

   Employee monitoring has emerged as a necessity and yet as a very controversial issue due to the complexity and widespread use of technology. Employee monitoring is the act of watching and monitoring employees’ actions during working hours using employer equipment/property (Raposa & Mujtaba, 2003). Employers are concerned with proper employee behavior and Code of Conduct compliance in relation to their industries and related organizations. While more and more employers are using monitoring devices to check or keep track of their employees’ actions, some employees feel that too much monitoring is an invasion of their privacy. Thus, the ethics of monitoring employees is explored and ethical dimensions of this issue are presented in order to provide a full picture of this practice. Furthermore, throughout the document there are discussions about future evolvement of employee monitoring with the emergence of new technology.

The Emergence of New Technology and Explosion of the Internet

  Lim (2002) mentioned that, “anecdotal evidence suggests that the Internet is a double-edged sword which companies should deploy freely to employees with caution.” While Internet is the best thing that has happened since “sliced bread”, it is also the biggest international playground for adults of all hobbies. A survey of 1,000 American workers revealed that 64% of those with Internet access tend to use it for personal interests during working hours. A question

to start with is “can technology change or influence our sense of values, morals, or ethics?” The answer would be yes since technology can influence our actions and behaviors as it already has in many cases. Actions and behaviors, in turn, tend to form our values, ethics and ultimately our character.

  We all live in a technologically advanced world in which informed and just decisions have to be made about very technical and enormously complicated issues. One major concerrn that has been voiced repeatedly regarding technolgical advances is use of the Internet and privacy issues.

  Anyone (at work or home) who uses your computer or has access to it can find out why you have been using it. Every time you use the Internet your Internet activities are being recorded and every picture you've seen while you are on-line is probably copied to your computer’s hard drive and connected servers. For example, every website you've visited on-line is often recorded into a secret file in Windows and is usually added to your drop down list. Even your homepage could be changed and you can be tracked from anywhere in the world

  There are however legitimate individuals in many firms that are required to surf the net to check out the industry, their customers, their suppliers, their competitors and so on. One example would be “Shared Software” authors that write software and then share their work over the Internet, more or less for free. While technicians and group support system facilitators often fill formal roles within organizations, the role of shared software authors is less defined and often falls completely outside of formal organizational boundaries. Their role is bounded by the needs created by new technology, is played out over electronic communication networks, and is exemplified by demonstrations of commitment. Their role in the social exchange of information over the Internet and World Wide Web has not changed much over the last few years, but their influence on society has increased along with the influence of the Internet and the World Wide Web. Shared software authors are a unique set of people whose behavior is not easily explained with conventional models.

Employers’ Perspective on Monitoring

  Various researchers have suggested that industries could be wasting up to one billion dollars each year because of Internet surfing for non-job related activities. Others estimate the cost to the American economy could be as high as 63 billion dollars each year for cyber loafing. Cyber loafers need not be absent from their offices or desks since the computer provides them the world’s biggest playground and personal work opportunities. Lim (2002) states that cyber loafers in their virtual travels away from the office “may—unwittingly or otherwise—visit sites which expose the organization to legal liabilities and to the dangers posed by computer viruses.” Lim goes on to say that “cyber loafers may pose a greater threat to the organization relative to the other types of loafers, in terms of productivity losses and cost incurred.” Beside such losses, employers are greatly concerned with sensitive and confidential information being sent outside of the company to its competitors, vendors, suppliers, and customers; thus employees harming the company. According to Gahtan’s (1997) article titled “Monitoring Employee Communication”, there have been instances where employees were sending confidential information and corporate trade secrets through an employer’s e-mail systems to other employees or friends. Furthermore, employees have been caught using an employer’s Internet facilities to start and/or operate their own businesses while on the job. Gahtan offers further reasoning for employee monitoring by stating, “…employers may also find that they could be held liable for e-mail or Internet-related activities of their employees” regardless of whether the employer was aware such activities or not. Gahtan offers recent lawsuits as excellent reasons for employer concern.

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References:

Philippine Daily Inquirer, pp. B2-3, retrieved on January 28, 2010.
Bahaudin Mujtaba (D.B.A. with International and Human Resource Management specialties) of Nova Southeastern University