Employee Monitoring: Who Is Watching You - Essay Example

The paper "Employee Monitoring: Who Is Watching You?" is an excellent example of an essay on management. Today productivity at the workplace has become a major concern, especially to employers. A lot of time in the workplace is at times lost with employees on the internet and making calls using the business resources. This does not only lead to loss of resources but also means the pay is not equal to the work. This makes employee monitoring crucial and is at many times considered a healthy business practice.

The California Public Utilities Commission General Order 107-B states that when phone conversations are monitored, either for quality purposes or for employee monitoring, both parties must be notified of the recording either by playing a recorded message or use of a phone beep that informs the parties of the recording.
Various technologies are available for employee monitoring today. The most common is the use of CCTV cameras that are strategically placed around the workplace, not only for security purposes but also help in monitoring what the employee is engaged in. When it comes to the internet, some companies use software to block connections to websites that are not helpful to the employee. There is another software that automatically monitors its employee's email. Most employers monitor their employees’ phone conversations especially those made on business phones. There is also software that monitors what an employee stores on the computers’ hard disks and what is displaying on their computer screens. There is other software that helps employers monitor the amount of time the employee spends away from his or her working terminal.
It is prudent for a company to keep its records and databases safe. It must limit the access of its employees to the company’s records to only that which an employee requires. Employees are known to sell crucial company information to their competitors and also blackmail superiors using access to the database when they are away from malpractice.
In monitoring a hundred employees in the workplace, video cameras around the workplace would make sure of the monitoring of both online and offline employees. There is also a need to monitor emails sent from their computers especially to clients to make sure of no malpractice. Internet sites that are not beneficial to the employee would have to be blocked; this includes pornographic sites and some social sites. The company’s database would have to be restricted to only a few employees especially senior management. Read More