Yobo's Digest
March 20, 2000
"CyberWatch?"
Wow, you just got a job, and your first day in the office you discover that they have web access for each employee. You drool in glee as you think, "Wow, now instead of watching the clock, I can surf the net!"
Not so fast. While the company has given you that web access you might be in for a surprise about what you are allowed and not allowed to do. Since web access in the work place became the standard about 2 years ago, many employers have been lacking at giving their employees guidance on what they can and cannot view. I know this from personal experience as it is true in the place I work. They have yet to address the usage rules, and basically everyone surfs to their hearts content.
Yet what they and many employees don't know is just because the company doesn't have a written set of rules, it doesn't mean they don't care about what you are looking at. In fact some employers have taken action against employees for "unacceptable" usage.
For instance, Xerox fired 40 of its employees for looking at porn while at work. In another case the New York times fired 23 of its employees for sending for it determined to be "sexy" emails. A recent survey showed in that about 86% of workers use company email to send and receive personal email, and many of them even, yes, view porno while at work. The cost to employers in lost time and down time is staggering. Experts estimate that about 2 million dollars is lost by companies every year due to employees surfing the internet during working hours.
Yet while viewing porn while on the job is probably a defenseless case, the issue of privacy is bought into question. Especially in the case of email. Where we could ask the question , "Does the employer have a right to monitor email messages of its employees?"
The answer, at least according to current practice is "Yes
they do!" Emails are monitored at most companies, by using
software designed to "weed" out questionable email by
alerting to specific "keywords" contained within it.
Words like "bimbo, resume, job offer, idiot, pay (as in payroll,
raise, etc", as well as other words which the company sets
the software to "flag".
This might sound outrageous and an invasion of privacy, but is
it? The question presented here is whether or not the company
which pays for the internet service, the computers, the software,
has a right to govern its use. The answer is, of course they do.
After all they control all other aspects of employee behavior
while at work, why not this as well?
What the issue gets down to is not so much a matter of privacy but of being complete in communication. That is, the employer has to communicate to its employee the precise rules for use of its equipment. No doubt many of the problems have occurred because the company installed internet access with little or no guidance to its use. Again, while the inappropriateness of viewing porno at work probably goes without saying, other less obvious areas such as emails, notes, and general correspondence need more clarification. Employers that do not adequately define their acceptable usage policies run the risk of litigation if they discipline an employee for an "unwritten" infraction.
Do you have a case of this happening to you? Share your thoughts on this issue. Do employers have the right to define use of the internet? How about monitoring email, isn't that a invasion of privacy?
Post your comments here on YoboSayo's Delphi forum.
Past commentaries
March 13, 2000 - Is the political process out of our hands?
March 27, 2000 - Melting Pot?
April 7, 2000 - Daylight Savings?