Management Monitor Employees E Mail example essay topic

1.8 Information technology enables organizations to easily collect large amounts of information about employees. Discuss the following issues: a. To what extent should management monitor employees' e-mail? Management should monitor employees' e-mail by using software that inspects every message sent via the company's system for inappropriate words or phrases.

This software can be programmed to include special words that may track e-mails containing other non-job related transmissions, including trade secrets or job hunt requests. Although this aspect of monitoring may be troublesome to employees, there are valid reasons for employers to engage in the practice. Most notably, companies may be held liable for the actions of employees who send or view pornographic, defamatory, racially insensitive, sexually suggestive or criminally threatening materials. From a simple liability standpoint, companies must monitor their employees. However, most privacy advocates have argued that employees must be given notice that such monitoring will occur. To that end, Congress is considering legislation that would require employers to notify employees, clearly and conspicuously, if their e-mail communications or computer usage will be monitored. b.

To what extent should management monitor which Web sites are visited by employees? A suitable tool that records the Web address of sites visited by an employee, the amount of time spent surfing the Web, bandwidth used and the type of sites visited should be used by management. Usually, this tool can be programmed to send alerts to the system administrator when sites that are off-limits to employees have been accessed. Because studies show that most Internet usage occurs while people are at the office, it is reasonable to conclude that much of that fear manifests itself while people are on the job.

Surfing the Web is part of most employees' daily routine. The fear generated from such concerns is thus bound to have a negative effect on productivity. c. To what extent should management monitor employee performance by, for example, using software to track keystroke per hour or other unit of time? If such information is collected, how should it be used?

Computer technology can document, analyze, measure and monitor almost every aspect of an employee's performance. It can tracks every keystroke used by an employee and every response that is returned to the user, as well as clock employees' workday like a punch card. Management should use this appraisal of employees' performance to measure productivity of the employees and to make sure they are not wasting company time. Positive observations should be compensated and negative ones should be taken into consideration. Moreover, if the reason behind negative observations is, for example, weakness in employee's computer skills management should provide the appropriate training or adopt user-friendly software. d.

Should companies use software to electronically "shred" all traces of e-mail? Companies should protect their system from e-mail tracing by using electronic shredder software. Traces of e-mail provide a clear vision to the tracer of how the system operates, which uncover the secrets kept with authorized individuals. e. Under what circumstances and to whom is it appropriate for a company to distribute information it collects about the people who visit its Web site? Personal information, such as Name, address, e-mail address, and telephone number, must not be given to any third party unless it is specifically requested. Without buyer's authorization, his personal information must not be given, sold, lent, or otherwise distributed to any third party unless compelled by a responsible law enforcement organization.

However, information may be used for general purposes, for instance to fulfill requests for products or services, improve the design and content of company's Web site, analyze site usage, improve services, conduct research, and provide anonymous reporting for internal and external clients.