Active monitoring of employees has risen sharply in the past 4 years, from 35 % to 80 %. These results from the American Management Association's (AMA) most recent annual survey are the first to show an increase in monitoring that is significantly greater that the increase in employees with access to the systems that are being monitored (voice mail, email, internet).
"Privacy in today's workplace is largely illusory. In this era of open space cubicles, shared desk space, networked computers and teleworkers, it is hard to realistically hold onto a belief in private space," said Ellen Bayer, AMA's human resources practice leader.
- Why Monitor Employees?
The reasons companies monitor employee activities are valid business reasons, not just a desire to snoop. The AMA listed (in alphabetical order) five reasons given by survey companies as to why they monitor their employees.
- Legal Compliance.
- Legal Liability.
- Performance Review.
- Productivity Measures.
- Security Concerns.
"Work is carried out on equipment belonging to employers who have a legal right to the work product of the employees using it", Bayer said.
- What Are My Rights?
According to the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse "New technologies make it possible for employers to monitor many aspects of their employees' jobs, especially on telephones, computer terminals, through electronic and voice mail, and when employees are using the Internet. Such monitoring is virtually unregulated. Therefore, unless company policy specifically states otherwise (and even this is not assured), your employer may listen, watch and read most of your workplace communications."
Their Fact Sheet 7: Workplace Privacy has a very good summary FAQ about employees rights, or lack therefor, with respect to phone calls, computers, email, and voice mail.
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