Violation of Privacy: “watchdog” Activities of Employer over Usage of Firm’s Internet

VIOLATION OF PRIVACY:

“WATCHDOG” ACTIVITIES OF EMPLOYER OVER USAGE OF FIRM’S INTERNET

        It is not disputable that as an employee, your employer has a right monitor all your activities in the firm to determine whether you are a good fit or not for the firm. Part of this monitoring includes how you use the firm’s resources, especially the internet (Wi-Fi). Unfortunately, there might arise an ethical issue of violation of employees privacy when an employer becomes overbearing with the acts of monitoring the internet use of an employee. This ethical issue arises because Employees want to maintain privacy while employers want to ensure company resources aren't misused

        During a tête à tête with a former employee of a big firm who once pursued an online master’s program, he explained his ordeal to me with regards to how his firm kept prying into his online activities and he later even found out that the firm had secret access to all e-mails and online transaction he engaged in. he felt his right of privacy had been violated. In fact he wanted to sue to firm, but he wanted to avoid any public confrontation from ensuing between him and the firm. He furthermore explained to me that when he confronted his employer over the issue, the employer said it was a company policy way of ensuring that employees particularly those undergoing online studies do not waste the firm’s internet on their own personal activities.

        In light of the foregoing, I agree that an employer has the right to actually monitor employees, but I maintain there is a thin line between monitoring and violation of employee’s privacy. Furthermore, I am convinced that this thin line is crossed especially when there is no written notice given to the employee that his or her company computer is being monitored or activities engaged in on the computer are being accessed by the company. But in a situation where a written notice is being given to the employee regarding such monitoring, one can safely say that the employer has the right to oversee all activities on the computer. Put differently, companies can maintain ethical monitoring policies by avoiding indiscriminate monitoring of employees' online activities

        One disadvantage of this workplace issue of internet monitoring, is that employers may discover personal information of the employee or even privilege emails of an employee and a third party and may unintentionally start treating such an employee in an unpleasant way, also if such an employee is an online student of a program, the employee would lack adequate concentration on his educational program and even at work. The end result would be that such an employee would lack the adequate frame of mind to perform up to expectation both at work and in school  and would unknowingly begin to perform below expectation and at the long run, such acts may lead to the termination of the employee