Private Internet Usage in the Workplace and Privacy - Research Paper Example

 Private Internet Usage in the Workplace and Privacy Introduction The development of internet technology and its usage in the workplace has increased in the last several years. Organizations as well as the government have connected their offices to the internet for improved communication within as well as with their associates from far distances. This technology has reduced the cost of communication through telephone and also helped in the elimination of the problems of failures in communication associated with telephone networks. Organizations also use the internet for advertising and research to establish markets for their products. Customers have also been participating in open forums with the management, which enables it to understand their preferences in regard to the organization’s product design. Governments also use the internet to inform the public concerning policies affecting them. Employees can also communicate through the internet within government offices (Daunt 2009). However, internet technology is new in the workplace, and employees usually tend to spend much of their time trying to understand it. The technology is constantly advancing with new developments that assist people in a number of ways, especially in social networking and research. Sites such as facebook, surveymonkey, myspace and LinkedIn amongst others are important in connecting people, whereby they exchange ideas. Surveymonkey and LinkeIn are significant sites that can be used for research and other important surveys that require the input of particular people, for example senior managers and government officials who may not be easily accessible through other means. People use face book to connect with longtime friends (Teten and Allen 2005 p 66). This essay is a critical evaluation of internet usage in the workplace. It discusses the concept of private internet usage in the workplace and privacy. It also evaluates why organizations should be concerned about employees’ use of the internet during work hours, as well as the effectiveness of policies aimed at regulating internet usage in the workplace. Private Internet Usage in the Workplace and Privacy Organizations have found it necessary to regulate internet usage in the work place, especially with the emergence of many social networking sites. Telstra is one such organization that formulated an organizational policy aimed at enhancing best practice while engaging in social networking, especially when employees are interested in making representations regarding the company in the social media. They have to seek permission and also undertake training programs, which are aimed at bringing the employees up to date concerning new trends in the social sphere, as well as the development of social responsibility while using social media (Winterford 2009) Employees who have access to the internet in their work place often tend to believe that the information they access or send from their computers is private, especially where it requires somebody to use passwords in order to login to the site. If one does not have the password, it is not easy to access such a private site. These include private information sites such as e-mail as well as other web sites which someone is able to access private information. However, with recent developments, employers are able to apply certain tools that enable them to access private information concerning their employees. In many circumstances, employers try to access private information in order to ascertain that the employees do not engage in activities that may expose the organization’s strategies to competitors. More over, the major purpose of investing in the internet within the workplace is usually for the good of the organization (Daunt 2009). It is therefore assume that since workers should operate as a team to accomplish organizational goals, there is no need to have some information hidden through passwords. Just as the management has the mandate to direct on the usage of equipments belonging to an organization, computers are also under its control. It has to ensure that they are used for purposes concerning improvement of worker productivity and not for private purposes. However, as it is for humans, every employee who has an opportunity to access the internet tends to have some private sites which can not be shared. Some times it may not be destructive information, but they can not allow others to know what they are doing behind their desks. They usually hide it especially to conceal the fact that they engage in private activities while they should be involved in the organization’s work. Teten and Allen (2005 p 66) observe that in many work places, when one approaches an employee who is busy working on the computer, it is likely to see several swift clicks as he/she tends to minimize or close certain web pages. In the recent past, there has been a growing concern in regard to the rights of employees to privacy in the work place. As they continue expecting expanded privacy in the place of work, employees are also concerned especially with the rising innovations in organizations. Employees have a right to privacy, although employers have a growing concern in regard to the tendency for employees to use the organization’s information technology equipment for personal services and other unwarranted activities such as viewing of illicit material on the internet. This is one issue concerning employee rights that still remains unresolved. Despite the fact that employees have a right to privacy, there is need for employers to ensure that their equipments are not used for any other activities outside the workplace requirements. There are increasing cases whereby the rights of employees are violated through invasion of their offices and computers through orders from their seniors (Coelho 1998). It is important to respect the employee’s privacy, but this needs to be controlled in order to ensure that it does not hamper their productivity. Some of the sites are so involving such that a person is required to spend a substantial amount of time concentrating on filling forms and opening links. On the other hand, there are cases whereby some of the personnel are tempted to open certain cites that are offensive in the work place. For example pornographic sites are in particular unpleasant for many people who might chance to view them. As much as an organization should allow employee privacy, it should ensure that such irresponsible behaviors are prevented in the work place (Scoble and Israel 2006 p 52). Most of these sites contain viruses that when downloaded can infect the organization’s system. It is important for employees to understand that their information which they regard as private may be accessed by their managers, agencies involved in recruitment of personnel, workmates, competing organizations, the government as well as many other interested parties. This can expose their character as well as their social connections, which may damage their reputation especially if the information shared is offensive or threatening to the success of the organization. Employees have a duty to work according to the organization’s rules and regulations and to ensure that organizational goals are accomplished (Benkler 2006 p 67). On the other hand, the management has a duty to ensure that discipline is maintained in the organization and that employees are provided with the necessary equipment to facilitate their work. The privacy of employees should not be interfered with, but it is important to ensure that they do not use the organization’s equipment unnecessarily such as for private information that diverts their attention from their usual duties, thereby lowering their productivity. In order to uphold an organization’s competitiveness it is important for the management to ensure that private information is not exposed in such a way that its strategies may be known to competitors (Castells 2000 p 78). One of the methods that competitors may employ in order to establish the manner in which they can be more competitive than other organizations is to identify their strengths and weaknesses through employees of targeted organizations. Instead of such employees resigning from the organization, they can be used as informers for competitors. This is unethical and the management should try and ensure that employees do not have an opportunity to engage in such activities. The most important action to take is to ensure that internet usage is monitored. However, it is important to ensure that their rights to privacy are upheld. This can only be achieved through developing policies aimed at promoting ethical behaviors amongst employees. They should be informed about information tracking and the consequences of using the internet in any other work apart from that which the employee has been assigned to by the management. It is important for organizations to be cautious in regard to monitoring the use of use of the internet after work is not part of what should be monitored. The main reason for employers to monitor internet usage is to prevent wastage of time in the workplace. However, this does not guarantee employers that there will be no time wastage in the workplace because, for employees to work effectively, they need to be contented in their work. Without satisfaction, they can not work effectively regardless of the presence or absence of the internet in the workplace (Allee 2002 p 69). On the other hand, allowing employees the freedom to use the internet freely generates a feeling of appreciation amongst them thereby improving their productivity, but only when they are satisfied with their work. Scoble and Israel (2006) observe that the reason why employees engage in actions that lead to time wastage is the fact that they are uninterested in their work. Without the internet, such workers usually find other excuses that lead to wastage of time such as regular sick leaves, regular short calls and other actions which lead to low productivity. This clearly indicates that there is a relationship between internet abuse in the workplace and employee satisfaction. Workers with an optimistic attitude more often than not takes pleasure in the work that they do and feel encouraged and acknowledged for their participation. That worker who is not contented and does not in actual fact get pleasure from the work, but is basically working for a take-home pay generally produces at a low level. Such a worker develops a negative outlook and normally pulls others down. The productivity of a worker is dependent on his rapport with his direct manager. Failure of the manager to honor his promises, giving recognition when appropriate, making unenthusiastic remarks, or blames the employees for mistakes that should be solved collectively largely impacts on the productivity of employees. It lowers their morale and happiness and consequently affects their output. It is true that happy employees are productive employees. Employees who lack a straight link with the organization do not find it necessary to work harder or sacrifice more of their time to produce the best results. They do not own the organizational goals and their productivity is low (Scoble and Israel 2006). It is the responsibility of the management to ensure that computers are protected from viruses through installation of anti virus soft ware. This eliminates the need for preventing workers from downloading information from the internet fearing that it might allow viruses in to the system. In regard to the tendency of some employees exposing private information about the organization to its competitors, it should be understood that employees who are happy with their work ensure that the organization’s reputation is maintained in order for them to remain working for it. Even without the internet, dissatisfied employees can still tarnish an organization’s name (Barbara 1997 p 52). High productivity in employees is attributed to job satisfaction. Productivity in employees results when managers ensure that all actions they take are well thought out and their impact on the employees carefully analyzed. They are supposed to know which actions should be undertaken and which ones should be avoided. Happiness in employees is achieved by ensuring that the organizational goals are reflected by the actions of managers. An organization with management whose decision making is not consistent with its objectives results in unsatisfied employees thereby lowering their productivity. Happy employees are able to maintain a work-life balance. This helps in reducing fatigue in the work place as well as other stress that may be caused by exhaustion. Happiness amongst employees creates good working relations and teamwork. Under such circumstances, employees work to accomplish a common goal. They can not reveal the organizational strategies to competitors, in spite of the availability of internet in the workplace. The output of team work is normally higher since the employees assist each other in the process of production (Benkler 2006 p 67). The right to a free personal life needs to be respected by employers. Employers should therefore ensure that they do not monitor personal information concerning private life which employees access outside the workplace. However, monitoring of e-mails usually exposes the employee to have his/her personal information accessed. This intimidates employees to the extent that they fail to use the internet in the workplace even for purposes that could be beneficial to the organization. Whereas many administrators and entrepreneurs decide to work with a definite least amount of office equipment, they tend to ignore the factors that can form impediments on the productivity of employees. Privacy in the work place is important and employees need to have a sense of ownership to a certain level, such as having a workspace that they can feel they own, be it a small office, writing desk or a compartment, where they can access the internet (Castells 2000 p 99). They need to be recognized and appreciated by the management. This gives them a sense of belonging to the system and they therefore work hard to ensure that the organizational goals are achieved. Eventually, they would like to be associated with the output. Managers should ensure that they constantly upgrade the skills of workers through regular training. The improved skills ensure that they produce the best results. They should be encouraged to use the internet for the benefit of the organization rather than intimidating them. There are cases whereby employers are known to have suspended or fired employees who were found to be using the internet in what they referred to as excessive use. However, this may lead to the loss of skilled employees, especially if they use the internet after completion of their tasks. In a way, allowing unlimited access to the internet may motivate them to work fast in order to have time for the internet. This generally indicates that using the internet regularly does not necessarily mean that the employees are wasting time or are unproductive. Some time they may access the internet to make enquiries regarding important matters which otherwise could only be known by physically appearing in the place where the information can be acquired. For example, enquiries concerning electricity and water bills as well as bank account balances can be made easier through the internet other than having to leave the workplace in order to visit the offices (Allee 2002 p 67). This saves time and the number of leaves that the employer has to allow the employees. Xerox Corporation is one of the leading global organizations dealing in document management products such as printers and photocopiers among others. In the year 2000, Cross et al (2004 p 18) observes that it fired 40 employees for spending most of their time in the internet. Other organizations that have been identified to have terminated workers on these grounds include Dow Chemical Company, Merck and The New York Times amongst others (Collins 2000). It is important to adopt human resource practices that allow performance measurement to be based on the capability and the output of employees in the place of work rather than what they access in the internet. For example, if an employee performs to the accepted standards within an organization, it would be unfair to terminate him/her on the basis of what he/she does in privacy through the internet. In many cases, the use of internet in the workplace allows employees to communicate with other people elsewhere far from the workplace thereby avoiding wasting time through receiving or making phone calls. Employers need to intervene only when internet usage interferes with performance. Internet Policy In order for employees to be clear on what is required of them in regard to internet usage, it is important for employers to have an understandable policy in place and communicate it effectively to the employees in order for them to adopt the best practices while using the internet in the workplace. These policies need to be consistent with the organization’s rules and regulations. They should be aimed at promoting the productivity of employees through setting up guidelines effective use of the internet in the workplace. With clear guidelines, employees are capable of establishing what practices need to be avoided, as well as the consequences of acting differently from the organization’s policies (Barbara 1997 p 57). It is important for the policies to be indicative in regard to what is acceptable and what is not in the organization while using the internet. Motorola Computer Group is one of the organizations that are renowned for adopting a policy concerning internet usage. It offers clear guideline concerning what is permitted concerning social networking through the internet in the workplace. It defines the extent to which employees can be permitted concerning the use of internet, as well as the purposes for which it should be used. Legal implications are also highlighted in the organization’s policy concerning the use of internet that is provided by the organization. It provides for protection of personal information to the employees in the workplace, and therefore it can not be disclosed. Every employee has information regarding the implications of using the internet, as well as the repercussions that apply to all the workers. The employees are also adequately informed on the importance of maintaining secrecy in regard to the organization as well as themselves, workmates as well as the organization’s customers. On the other hand, the policy is clear on the role of the organization in handling personal information. There is privacy level that the management is required to observe when intending to disclose personal information (Young and Case 2004 pp 105-111). All supervisors have to undergo regular training concerning the use of internet by employees in so that they can acquire the capability of preventing internet abuse in the workplace. Employees are also educated concerning this policy in order to understand its meaning, a significant factor that helps in the avoidance of disappointment while in the workplace. Such disappointment usually occurs when people do not have the right information concerning the manner in which they should behave in the workplace. The organization provides information regarding the structures in place for the avoidance of access to particular sites that the organization has identified as unpleasant, as well as the methods that the management uses to identify internet abuse. It also provides information on the degree to which monitoring of internet usage is conducted. For example the internet policy of the organization stipulates certain instances when the organization views and records the websites that the employees visit. More over, the employees are made aware of the involvement of persons who represent them in the putting the policy into practice as well as conducting inquiries regarding infringement of the internet policy (Barbara 1997 p 86). The organization ensures that the privacy of each employee is safeguarded through provision of a lockable desk whose access can only be achieved through the personal key for each. This is done in order to protect them from exposure from privacy. The internet policy only applies to internet usage but not on other issues. Administrators are usually mandated to access private files for the purpose of monitoring, but being informed concerning the internet policy, it is usually not a problem for the employees. In order to monitor internet usage amongst the employees, the organization has to test the necessity of monitoring, and ascertain that the results will be significant in maintaining the employee productivity. The monitoring also has to be conducted fairly, and that it is appropriate in addressing the organizational concerns that necessitated it (Joseph 1992 p 67). Achievement of Policy Objectives The internet policy for Motorola Computer Group has enhanced the responsibility of employees. Understanding the employer’s expectations has played a significant role in generating social responsibility amongst employees (Young and Case 2004 pp 105-111). When people are allowed the freedom to choose what is good for them in regard to their work with minimal control from the management, they tend to perform better than through constant monitoring and supervision. Happy employees require minimum supervision and can produce the desired output on their own. The costs of hiring supervisors and monitoring expenses are therefore reduced. Workers tend to strive to achieve the set objectives in order to maintain the employer’s confidence in them so that they can get promotion or consideration for extra benefits. Skills are improved due to specialization in specific tasks leading to increased production. They are normally inventive and their creativity is usually an important asset to the organization. Managers need to invest in their innovativeness for improvement in the organization’s output. Employees derive enthusiasm from the realization that their employer trusts them and that they can be left to work on their own and produce the desired results. If many restrictions in regard to internet usage are absent, it is likely that employees will not engage in deceitful actions. Such actions usually arise as a result of the employees trying to discover the internet, and the reasons for restrictions. The organization ensures that the employees are aware of the policy regarding restricting internet usage and the extent to which its use is allowed. This helps in ensuring that employees do not break rules regarding internet use, and therefore harmony in the working environment is maintained (Joseph 1992 p 72). Instead of being monitored every now and then, they become part of the team that strives to accomplish organizational goals. Through the internet policy, the organization is able to build team work whereby the employees work with minimum supervision. Employees enjoy participating in management through teamwork when they are happy. It becomes easy to identify problems and come up with solutions. They turn out to be assets to the organization and strikes that may arise due to dissatisfaction are rare. Most of the unhappy workers mainly resort to strikes which end up hampering production. In order to become more productive, workers need certain levels of independence, such as when using the internet. They need to be allowed to take charge of certain activities in their field. Once they enjoy the autonomy, satisfaction and happiness are achieved thereby increasing their productivity. Constantly being supervised and controlled in every action reduces self esteem and confidence. Performance is lowered since the workers can not be certain about their output. They should also be allowed to be responsible in certain tasks in which they specialize (Barbara 1997 p 52). The happiness that arises when they achieve particular goals that they set for themselves increases productivity. Employees have also been able to access useful information that is beneficial to the organization. The management promotes organizational learning through allowing employees to use internet technology in research and development. Upgrading the skills of supervisors and employees is fundamental in ensuring the high productivity. This is because employees’ skills are dependent on unbeaten and productive supervisors. These abilities principally add to the possibility of good performance in the workers (Barbara 1997 p 52). Conclusion Information technology is one of the major improvements that have been applied in companies to improve their productivity. The internet technology is important in enhancing communication amongst employees within organizations as well as with others from different companies. Companies use it for marketing as well as for research and development. This has evidently improved the performance of various organizations since the inception of internet technology. In the workplace, the use of internet varies depending on the organizational culture. Some employees use the internet extensively for private business while others use it for social networking. Organizations are usually faced with the problem of identifying the employees who abuse the internet without interfering with their privacy. This has led to the presence of monitoring programs that are aimed at ensuring that the internet is used exclusively for the organizational activities. For the monitoring to be effective, there has to an internet policy that offers guidelines for the employees in regard to what they should expect from the employer. These are essential in maintaining social responsibility as well as promoting harmony amongst employees in the workplace. However, employers need to ensure that they do not expose employees’ privacy especially concerning personal information exchanged through the work place. They need to be trained concerning the internet policy in order for them to understand what is acceptable in the organization in regard to the use of internet technology. Bibliography 1. Allee V. 2002. 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The Human Resource Problem-Solver's Handbook. McGraw-Hill. 9. Scoble R. and Israel S. 2006. Naked Conversations: How Blogs are changing the Way Businesses Talk with Customers, Wiley. 10. Teten D. and Allen S. 2005. The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals, AMACOM. 11. Winterford B. 2009. Telstra Staff Given Rules on Use of Social Networks, viewed on 13th Aug. 2009 at < http://www.itnews.com.au/News/142866,telstra-staff-given-rules-on-use-of-social-networks.aspx> 12. Young K. S., and Case C. J. 2004. Internet Abuse in the Workplace: New Trends in Risk Management. Journal on CyberPsychology & Behavior, vol. 7(1): 105-111. Manuel Castells (Author) › Visit Amazon's Manuel Castells Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author Are you an author? Learn about Author Central Verna Allee (Author) › Visit Amazon's Verna Allee Page Find all the books, read about the author, and more. 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