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Look Who's Talking (and Chatting and Surfing)

I confess. Sometimes my in-office IM conversations don't pertain to work, and maybe I check my personal email once in a while. But my responsibilities come first, and I always get my work done. So why am I freaked out that my employer could be watching my every move?

Monitoring employees' computer activities isn't anything new and, as forum member rain3d states, is a company's right as long as it's "understood by the employee in a written acceptable use policy (signed by employee) that the computers are for business use only and subject to monitoring" (www.windowsitpro.com/go/MonitorEmail).

Even if snooping on worker bees is legal, many people still feel that such actions are an invasion of privacy. Others think that surveillance is the only way to keep a business running efficiently. I agree that people should work while they're at work; I just don't remember when keeping employees scared became the only way to keep them honest.

Do you think that monitoring employees' computer activity is fair or that it's gone too far? Share your thoughts on this blog post, or email me at [email protected].

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