Why Companies Should Enforce Written Policies

Did you know that 58% of employers have fired workers for Internet and email misuse? And 48% justify employee video monitoring as an effort to “counter theft and violence?” According to the “2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey” of which 304 U.S. companies participated in, computer-monitoring results have led to the highest cause of employee termination. These companies used several tactics to eavesdrop on employees while claiming to be managing productivity or for security purposes. Some argue that surveillance is absolutely necessary to help protect and grow a business; others argue that employee and customer rights come first. However, companies that use such tactics often violate the privacy of individuals, exploit their private information and even punish those that do not conform to their standards.

Workplace privacy is one of the biggest issues facing businesses today. Do you feel like you are being watched all the time, all your e-mails being read, and every key stroke is being monitored by your boss? Some people feel this way and that is why privacy in the workplace is a problem with many businesses today. Employees feel like they are not being trusted, or feel the company invades on their personal privacy, or violates their fourth amendment rights. On the other hand many businesses have many federal and state laws to follow, and must keep their assets safe, and their employees. Technology makes communications of all sorts as easy as a few pushes of a button. This technology makes it

The high tech age brings at a fast pace through different sources like TV, radio, internet, newspapers, magazines as well wanted or unwanted phone calls, instant message, social network messages, web searches, emails etc. One of the advantage of having 24/7 virtual office is businesses can capitalize on the evolving nature of the office by striking a balance that combines virtual and physical work and space which could ultimately increase productivity and lower costs without sacrificing company culture or individual motivation. One of the biggest issues facing the organization is employees facing loss of productivity, stressed, and burnout due to information and email overload. Information overload describes an excess of information

A company's privacy protection can limit the company's liability in many ways. By monitoring employees work and progression, a company can ensure that the employee is being productive. By monitoring an employee's productivity, the company can ensure that employee is performing all their job duties and performing them correctly. If performed incorrectly, the company may be held responsible. Companies can also monitor employees to ensure all employees are using the company's assets for company related reasons and not conducting any personal or illegal activities that can

Employers are discovering that employee emails and telephone uses are starting to have an impact on its business. Therefore, employers are trying to protect the company's investment, by monitoring employees email without being invasive. Employers can use, computer software, which gives the employer the ability to record how much time the employees' spend on his or, her email account, without having to read the employees email

Privacy Rights Clearinghouse went over computer and workstation monitoring, email monitoring, telephone monitoring, mobile device monitoring, audio and video monitoring, GPS tracking, postal mail and social media monitoring. Employers are able to see what is on your screen, how much time you spend away from your computer and how many keystrokes per hour each employer does. Employers are able to discretely monitor employees with certain computer equipment. Employees may not know they are being monitored. Employers can review email content. Even though the message may have an option for marking an email as private, the company may still have access to the email. You should assume that your work emails are not private. Even though you may delete your emails, the company still has access to them also.

Employers have the right and responsibility to monitor their place of business to protect themselves and their employees from invasion . The irony is that this can only be possible if an employer is able to monitor communications and exchanges . Therefore , for a company to be able to afford the protection that employees need , they must surrender in trust their privacy to the company

In the United States, billions of emails are sent from any business regarding the business done, and sometimes things that aren’t business at all. I’m talking about things such as company sports, company games, or even company free time. Because of this, many companies’ these days monitor their employees’ emails in order to discourage the use of company time for leisure work. These seemingly random checks can tell the company when and/or how an employee has misused their time and misused the companies’ resources for their own gain. According to Halbert and Ingulli, employers have had a long history of interest in scrutinizing their workforces (Halbert & Ingulli, 2006, p. 87). Today, “spying” on their employees has been made many times easier due to technology. Monitoring emails

The legality of monitoring e-mail in the workplace is not a clear cut situation. The law on the subject of employers ' right to employee e-mails evolves as fast as the speed of technology these days. Federal law prohibits the unauthorized capture of electronic communications. If this law is violated, persons are subject to civil and criminal penalties. However, when electronic communications are downloaded to any company 's computer, the electronic communication is subject to control by the employer.

Nowadays we live in a fast pace world, which allow us to shirk easily. The innovation of technology leads us too many distractions, since it is so easy to navigate in the internet instead of doing their duty as employees. How many times we shirk on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,whatsapp etc.) instead of doing our duty? If we think about it we don't even notice but is more than the time in which we could get the work done. In this paper I would write some key solutions that might increase the motivation, to work and shrink the shirking while you are on duty.

In today’s technological world, organizations have a significantly more difficult time with this tool than when Mr. Peck wrote this book. Electronic devices and social media have created a culture of instant gratification. There is no need to wait until one gets home to talk about the day. Thoughts and ideas are posted and instantly responded to by people around the world. Many work places have had to create policy about employees using electronic devices

With the advancement of technology employers are now able to store access and monitor employees’ actions on company computing systems. In 1986, The Electronic Communication Privacy Act (ECPA) was introduced which disallow the intentional interception of “any wire, oral or electronic communication”, it provides an exemption that permits right to monitor employees in the course of business (Beesley, 2012). According to the act, if the employee is using equipment owned by the employer then employer is allowed to monitor an employee’s use of computer or phone for a valid reason. Also, if employer has obtained prior written consent from employee to monitor employee computer usage then they are legally authorized to do so.

The impact of computer technology in the workplace has been enormous within the past decade, both positive and negative. Distant communication through the use of computers and mobile devices have overhauled the office setting completely. Email, social networking sites and the world of the Internet have opened a whole new avenue of communication. Technology has changed the entire workplace environment, the relationships, and how things get done.

"Privacy. There seems to be no legal issue today that cuts so wide a swath through conflicts confronting American society: from AIDS tests to wiretaps, polygraph test to computerized data bases, the common denominator has been whether the right to privacy outweighs other concerns of society…" This quote from Robert Ellis Smith explains, in one sentence, the absolute need to ensure privacy in the workplace. One of the most interesting, yet controversial, areas concerning public personnel is employee privacy. What limits are there to employers’ intrusions into, and control over, employees’ behaviors and personal properties?

Privacy in the workplace exists only to a certain extent essentially because the organization has the right to search and seizure their property and the employees which utilize it. Therefore, I believe employees generally are limited to the amount of privacy they have on the job. Generally, much of the equipment, devices, and resources utilized at work are the property of the employer and therefore they have the right to monitor what employees are doing. In essence, employers have every right to invade employee privacy while the employees are utilizing the organization's equipment and resources. Further, employee privacy is limited because essentially employees are trying to safeguard the organization from litigation and the erosion of the organization’s reputation.