A lot of businesses, especially technology centered businesses, are now implementing software that counts their employees key strokes and monitoring their internet and computer use. Is this a violation of your privacy, or are these businesses paying for your time and have every right to control and monitor your time this way?
A company pays an employee based on how productive they are. So with in reasonable degrees I don't have a issue with companies monitoring how employees use their time.
I say reasonable, because I do feel there should be limitations on what companies should be allow to monitor. For example I don't have an issue with monitoring computer and internet use, but I would be opposed to the company being able to read employees emails.
I think I definitely find nothing wrong with a company monitoring internet use. A lot of companies have a filter that prevent employees from accessing facebook, youtube, and other social networking or entertainment sites. Even schools do it.
But like InCourage said below, it kind of takes on that 1984/Brave New World vibe when your employer can click and button and see your screen without you ever knowing it.
I agree. Any monitoring efforts should be transparent, and there should be reasonable limits.
Is the company providing the computer and access? Does the employee work at home on his/her own computer or provide their own laptop at work? There are a lot things to resolve in that minefield. I wonder if there might be a negative effect on employee moral that outweighs the benefit of such monitoring. What is the point of productive employees who keep leaving the company?
I hadn't even thought of that! It's a good thing to look at. Maybe if you coupled the monitoring with say a system where an employee could turn of the filters and monitoring system for say twenty minutes total per day to do whatever they want? Like a free pass? I know there are studies that say that people are more productive when they take more breaks during the day.
I feel whether or not it is the company's computer makes a huge different. The company should only be allowed to monitor if you are using their computer, or on their network. Otherwise it would clearly be a violation of privacy.
What about if you're using your own computer but it's on their network. So you're on their internet and portions of the software you use belong to them? I only ask cause that's my exact situation haha. I mean I personally am not worried about my company monitoring me because I do trust the company I work for, but for argument's sake...
You could ask them to clarify their policy on the issue. It couldn't hurt.
If it is the companies network, then technically it would be with in their rights to put certain monitoring procedures into place (such as the filters that you previously mentioned). I do feel good judgment and discernment should be used (and as mentioned an employer would have to consider how such efforts would effect employee morale). As previously mentioned any monitoring efforts should be transparent (as an employee you should clearly be aware of any monitoring measures that are taken) and there should be reasonable limits (for example, as mentioned I would have a huge issue with the company being able to read my emails).
But this issue does make me glad that I work for myself. Any freelance work I do for others is on my own computer and on my own separate network.
All good points.
And freelancing sounds so amazing, but from what I've heard it takes a lot of effort and personal motivation. You have to have like a superman work ethic.
Superman like work ethic? That could be why I have a tough time paying the bills! After all I should be working, instead of replying to this forum. But, oh well.
I worked at a company that took the attitude that some people will surf the net during work no matter what the company did. They monitored the bandwidth and let us know when it was getting out of hand. The implied agreement was to act professionally, get your work done, and you can use the equipment to surf. It seemed to work well in a small company, about 25 people. The huge companies, I am not sure how well that would work. This is an interesting line of thought.
That sounds pretty reasonable actually. Plus putting trust in your employees not only raises moral and garners goodwill, but it also creates an environment of mutual trust and understanding. I'm not sure about the ethics of other choices, but this sounds like the most reasonable solution.
This is a question about Ethics and as such will really have no real consensus. The company is paying you for your time, this is true. People also have the tendency to "waste" time and thus take advantage of the employer.
However, employers/companies tend to overstep bounds of common decency when they go to such links to monitor and control their workers. It takes on an Orwellian kind of feeling.
I get the image of an office in the old U.S.S.R. (communist russia) where everyone was 'Free' and equal but not really.
Hire good workers and trust them. Control is only an Illusion anyway.
Very true. They just implemented a similar system at the company my friend works for, and I myself am not really sure where I stand on the issue, which is why I brought it to forum.
I agree that the line between protecting the company from being taken advantage of and protecting the employees privacy can be blurry. And it definitely does have the Big Brother feel to know that at any time your employer can look at your computer screen and see what your doing without you even knowing it.
It would only matter with regards to the employees time on the job. Otherwise, a business has no place in watching what a person does online.
So you think it's totally reasonable as long as the company doesn't monitor after work or lunchtime activities?
Correct. If a business is going to monitor it's staff productivity by measuring keystrokes, then I don't see a problem with it, but it should only be done when the employee is actually at work working.
Lunch breaks? Are lunch breaks. They shouldn't be using business computers for personal use.
I suppose. Although I know a lot of people at my own company who don't take real lunch breaks. They eat their lunch while they work, and then take the half hour to check e-mails, make phone calls, watch youtube videos or the like. I personally think it shouldn't matter what you do during your lunch break because that time is yours not the company's.
It is fine if employees want to do things on their own time, but they are not to use the business computers to do it. This is my point which you are missing.
As far as though who work through their lunch break? Well, they are idiots. Why in the world give a business a free half hour of your time? It makes no sense.
Not that they work through them, but that they take them to do other things than lunch. they'll eat while they work, and take their break to get coffee, chat, e-mail, make phone calls etc.
And I understand you're point, I just disagree with it. I don't think they should ban you from using your e-mail or looking at various websites so long as you return the computer to them in the same condition as when they gave it to you.
Irrelevant. As I said, not on business machines.
I don't see why you would. Business has and reserves the right to dictate what happens on their equipment. You don't as an employee. You never will.
If you were to leave the computer in the same condition as when they gave it to you, then you wouldn't not be able to use it to begin with, because everything you do online is going to change the original settings the business applied to the machines.
Not to mention, business has specific settings which most likely wouldn't allow you to visit specific sites because those site download tracking cookies which the business doesn't want or need.
At many offices it is a matter of bandwidth use and costs.
Clearly a company, a business is going to do what it will take to become more profitable and if that means tracking keystrokes then I have no doubt the business will implement software or hardware capable of providing them with that sort of data.
Let's take a second look at what the businesses trying to do. It might look a little different if we were the ones being a monitored. Years ago this very same situation was brought up because not only does the software or hardware
monitors keystrokes it also monitors how long keys have not been
pressed and because of that some employees were written up for having taken
a long lunch or perhaps a long break which would eventually put them in
a situation where if it happens again they will be terminated.
I am in favor of a business trying to improve its operation but since the
development of the computer I personally tend to see some businesses treating
employees as if they should be as perfect as a computer. Are you capable
of performing every day flawlessly?
I think if you're using their computers they have a right to monitor, but if you have to use your own computer, I wouldn't want anybody else in there but me. No logging keystrokes, my passwords are private. If the job requires me to have my own laptop then it's my personal computer.
On the news last week they had a story about companies that are now asking for applicant's facebook passwords. It was bad enough when they just wanted the page link, but now they want to get inside it. I see NO reason for that. The idea is to see what kind of messages you send and receive because it can be telling as to what kind of person you are.
Back to the topic; I'm on the fence, depending on who's computer is being used. And if it's the business' computers, lunch shouldn't be spent using it.
Facebook passwords?! Are you serious? Wow. I mean I understand companies looking at your Facebook. When you post something on Facebook, it's on there forever, and virtually anyone can see it, even with the privacy settings. You should never post something on Facebook you wouldn't want people to see, obviously. But I would never give an employer my password! The messages I send on chat are just as private as a face-to-face conversation with that person would be.
I heard about companies asking about Facebook passwords as well. The article I read also discussed the questionable legality of companies doing that (and apparently it is against Facebook policy to give out your password).
As far as I'm concern asking for Facebook passwords are definitely crossing the line.
What was the discussion around the legality? I'm surprised they found enough people willing to give their passwords to fill their openings.
I don't remember all the specifics, but it had something to do with whether they had the right to ask for the info. Also if someone did not get the job or was fired because of refusal to give their password, they might have the basis to pursue legal action.
This is not the article I initially read (I believe the article I read concerned Canada), but it talks about the government trying to pass a password protection bill:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-574317 … passwords/
That article brings up the interesting point (that I hadn't even thought of) that information like race, sexual orientation, and relationships status - all of which could be used to discriminate against someone - are readily available on a Facebook account.
I've since found another article which included a statement made from the Ontario Human Rights commission which made a similar statement concerning possible discrimination:
http://www.yorku.ca/ddoorey/lawblog/?p=5026
Of course up to this point there still hasn't been a legal precedent set in the courts, but companies who ask for the passwords could be potentially getting themselves into legal hot water.
Yeah I think that definitely crosses the line. And it opens the door for companies to discriminate people who say have a few photos with red solo cups, or who's friends aren't necessarily as discreet on Facebook as they should be. Because when you gain access to someone's Facecbook, you can look at all of their friends Facebooks too.
I can't believe that is still being attempted by the anal Bean Counters in the world. Someone I worked with years ago tried to pull that one on our group of writers (we were all very experienced professionals who had been published for years). We pointed out that various keyboarding habits and techniques produce different numbers of keystrokes. If someone goes 'click-click-click' to delete rather than highlighting a block of text, the numbers are different. If one person retypes a phrase that's often used and another one cuts and pastes it, the 'scores' are different.
If it's data entry work that involves entering names, someone who has a large number of multi-syllable names from Germany or Mexico will have a different score than someone entering one syllable names from Asian countries. Etc. etc.
Those 'measurements' are created by people who don't actually know what it's like to do the work.
FYI - the anal person who tried to pull that one in our office was, by the way, the least productive person on the staff.
Of course it was! You know it wouldn't bother me, but I have 1984 flashbacks, and you're absolutely right - it's absolutely NOT an indicator of productivity, it just scares people into thinking they might lose their jobs if they don't meet a certain quota. So of course it was created by people who have never actually worked in data entry.
Thank you for your opinion, and for the anecdote
Regarding Internet usage - I've seen people who spend their entire day on Facebook or cruising the Web, and I can indeed see some merit in monitoring that unproductive activity if it is done during the hours you're paying them to do real work. I wouldn't cut off access completely (as some firms do), but I'd start by making certain they weren't Facebooking at the expense of work.
Yes I agree. My company actually has this program where they use a filter to block out entertainment, shopping, and social networking sites, but you can choose to lift the filter for I think three ten minute periods a day. It's kind of nice actually.
by LoliHey 6 years ago
Doesn't freedom of speech mean that there are no consequences?Lately we hear about people losing their jobs for stuff they tweet and post. People say, "Well, freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences." I beg to differ, though. You're supposed to be able...
by Timothius 10 years ago
Can an employer force an employee to not express his opinion about the company through contract?Is that a violation of Freedom of Speech/Expression?
by Grace Marguerite Williams 6 years ago
What would you say to a recently terminated/fired employee? What is the MAIN ADVICE you would giveto him/her? Be factual in your response.
by mpchekuri 13 years ago
Retaining worthy employees in an organization is becoming more complicated day by day.
by Cassie Smith 11 years ago
More and more companies aren't hiring smokers because they are not a protected class and they increase a company's group health insurance premiums. Should it be allowed?
by rhamson 8 years ago
The CEO of Gravity, a credit card processing service, cuts his personal pay from a million dollars a year to give the minimum wage earners in his company $70,000 a year. The workers describe the raise as freedom, family starting and house buying ability. Could this be something to spark the economy...
Copyright © 2023 The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers on this website. HubPages® is a registered trademark of The Arena Platform, Inc. Other product and company names shown may be trademarks of their respective owners. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website.
Copyright © 2023 Maven Media Brands, LLC and respective owners.
As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.
For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy
Show DetailsNecessary | |
---|---|
HubPages Device ID | This is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons. |
Login | This is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. |
Google Recaptcha | This is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy) |
Akismet | This is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Google Analytics | This is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy) |
HubPages Traffic Pixel | This is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized. |
Amazon Web Services | This is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy) |
Cloudflare | This is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Hosted Libraries | Javascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy) |
Features | |
---|---|
Google Custom Search | This is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Maps | Some articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Google Charts | This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy) |
Google AdSense Host API | This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Google YouTube | Some articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Vimeo | Some articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy) |
Paypal | This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Login | You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy) |
Maven | This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy) |
Marketing | |
---|---|
Google AdSense | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Google DoubleClick | Google provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Index Exchange | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Sovrn | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Facebook Ads | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Unified Ad Marketplace | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
AppNexus | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Openx | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Rubicon Project | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
TripleLift | This is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) |
Say Media | We partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy) |
Remarketing Pixels | We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites. |
Conversion Tracking Pixels | We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service. |
Statistics | |
---|---|
Author Google Analytics | This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy) |
Comscore | ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy) |
Amazon Tracking Pixel | Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy) |
Clicksco | This is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy) |