...Be Allowed to Surf the Internet during Work Time? Linge Li 315668 Case, C., & Young, K. (August 01, 2002). Employee Internet Management: Current Business Practices and Outcomes. Cyberpsychology & Behavior, 5, 4, 355-361. This paper explored the current practices to reduce or control the Internet misuse or abuse in organizations and analyzed the data collected from a wide range of respondents, as well as the related areas in the organizations that participated in this study. The authors also provided the Internet E-Management Framework to help analyze employees’ behavior, which concluded several behaviors and aspects that are mostly concerned in organizations. The results and implications of this study contribute to understand companies’ awareness, concerns, and practices on Internet misuse issues. Firms Control Employee Internet Use. (July 01, 2007). Information Management Journal, 41, 4. This article provides data regarding why companies restrict their employees’ Internet access. Therefore it is helpful to understand the attitude towards Internet usage issue from the employer’s side. Akman, I., & Mishra, A. (July 21, 2010). Predictive Effect of Gender and Sector Differences on Internet Usage among Employees. Engineering Economics, 21, 3, 295-305. This paper recognizes the increasing usage of Internet in organizations and the need from policy makers to understand their employees’ Internet usage patterns and purposes. The authors concluded predictive effects...
Words: 671 - Pages: 3
...a new dimension; for instance, advancing technology. This has resulted in some ethical issues in workplaces such as cyberloafing, privacy, information technology usage, employee monitoring. Also, legal issues in workplaces such as lawsuits have emerged. Both employers and employees are worried about the ethical consequences resulting from the ethical issues While bosses use surveillance devices to keep track of their workers' activities and output, these workers feel that excessive monitoring is an attack on their confidentiality and privacy. The strategy of checking workers on a timely basis is contributed by the fact that bosses have rights over everything in the “at-will employment environment.” Additionally, this paper provides a proposal for reducing the ethical and legal issues. The paper also encourages organizations to generate and efficiently communicate ethical standards for workers in their companies. It also includes real examples of workers' perceptions as well as an emotional state from the surveys based on ethical and legal issues raised regarding the topic of study. Keywords: At-will employment, employee monitoring, Ethical and legal issues. Introduction At- will means employment can be terminated at any time, for any reason or no reason without facing legal action. Likewise, an employee can quit a job with or without a prior reason at any time with no legal action against him or her. Also, At-will means, employment relationship terms including, altering...
Words: 2152 - Pages: 9
...I. INTRODUCTION Controversy surrounding workplace monitoring and surveillance has intensified with the rapid digitization of the workplace. The ways in which we work, communicate and share information have forever changed. Employers are playing constant “catch up” with new technologies that are utilized on a broad scale long before policies are created to manage their impacts. Privacy issues often arise in connection with employer efforts to locate, hire and evaluate the most qualified and reliable employees. Improvements in technology, such as the rapid rise of the use of electronic mail and the increasing use of surveillance cameras, often force otherwise reluctant employers to readdress the balance between employees' privacy concerns and perceived business needs. In fact, nearly 67% of all companies currently use some type of surveillance in the workplace. According to a recent poll, “. . . over 66% percent of those surveyed had used the Internet from work in the past 24 hours.” (M.Lee Smith Publishers, Hospitality Workforce Trends, January 2000) In addition, when issues in his or her personal life impact an employee’s work, the employer must make judgments as to the appropriate level of involvement. Lastly, as traffic on the “information superhighway” continues to explode a number of substantive questions about the use and abuse of these information networks arises. What are the ramifications for employees’ right to privacy in the workplace? Does an employer...
Words: 3154 - Pages: 13
...Abstract This paper will explain why employers monitor their employees in the workplace and what are the recent devices and programs used in the monitoring process. The paper will examine also the effects of the surveillance on the employees’ psychological health and their rights to privacy. Nowadays, the negative effects of surveillance must be discussed and solved. In addition, a solution is given to ease the controversy between the employer’s work protection and the employees’ privacy rights. Last, the paper gives ways to let the employers know how to deal with their staffs at work without restricting them. Introduction The flow of information and the rapid speed of technologies lead to the trend of globalization. Globalization...
Words: 1181 - Pages: 5
...Concerns for Employees and Challenges for Privacy Advocates Anna Johnston and Myra Cheng Paper delivered 28 November 2002 International Conference on Personal Data Protection Hosted by Personal Information Dispute Mediation Committee, Korea Information Security Agency Seoul, Korea Ms Anna Johnston is the NSW Deputy Privacy Commissioner. Ms Myra Cheng is a Research & Policy Officer with Privacy NSW, the Office of the NSW Privacy Commissioner. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Dr Ben Searle, Macquarie University, in providing an overview of the relevant literature from the field of organisational psychology. Introduction This paper takes up the challenge of talking about privacy in the workplace - a site of potential conflict in which there may be co-existing radically different views on whether workers can or should have any expectations of privacy. As long as there has been employment, employees have been monitored. Nebeker D M & B C Tatum, "The effects of computer monitoring, standards and rewards on work performance, job satisfaction and stress" (1993) 23(7) Journal of Applied Social Psychology 508 at 508. However, in recent years, with an environment of affordable technology, the availability of less easily observable or detectable monitoring devices, and a lack of adequate regulation, there has been an explosion in the use of electronic monitoring and surveillance in the workplace. A recent study by the American Management Association (AMA)...
Words: 6767 - Pages: 28
...1. Explain where an employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace. When it comes to employment, many employee privacy rights are granted by specific laws, rules, and/or regulations. For example, there are laws that create a right to privacy in employee personnel records, the use and maintenance of employee social security numbers, employee medical information, background screenings, and the like. But what about cases in which there is no specific statute or code that creates a right to privacy? Does one exist anyway? The answer is maybe. Sometimes, whether a privacy right exists is determined by reference to the "reasonable expectation of privacy." This is a concept which basically asks if, in the particular circumstances, it was reasonable to expect that certain conduct or communications would be considered private. "Reasonable expectation of privacy" can be raised where, for example, an employer searches an employee's office or cubicle, looks through an employee's working files, or searches an employee's locker at work. Was it reasonable for the employee to believe that his or her office or cubicle is a private area that the employer cannot search without first asking permission? Determining whether there was a "reasonable expectation of privacy" typically involves a balancing test, and many factors must be considered to decide whether the employee had a privacy right in answer to these...
Words: 1732 - Pages: 7
...Running Header: E-MAIL, INTERNET, AND PRIVACY POLICIES E-Mail, Internet and Privacy Policies University of Phoenix Com 285: Introduction to Business Communication Group: MEBSB039 May 5, 2009 E-Mail, Internet and Privacy Policies With the invention of the internet, many conveniences have been developed to help companies run more efficient. E-Mail was developed to replace standard written messages. This form of communication sped up the receipt of messages from one person to another. Internet and e-mail have become, and will remain a necessary tool for the modern business to succeed. The internet is also used as a way to communicate globally. For instance, a company with offices in the United States and the United Kingdom, now has the ability communicate information at the speed of light. With the advancement of modern technology comes the advancement of ways to steal information and violate the privacy of an employee or the company. Companies have put privacy policies in place to protect employees and the company. Information that could be misused and potentially harm the employee or put the company at risk could easily be sent over the internet through unsecured means. This paper is meant to discuss e-mail, internet use, and privacy policies at the place of employment of the writer. Secondly, we will discuss the laws put in place to regulate employee’s e-mail and internet policies. Thirdly, we will discuss the reasons companies...
Words: 972 - Pages: 4
...Acceptable Internet Use Policy for Business William E. Boyle Point Park University Abstract This paper will argue that an Acceptable Internet Use Policy, combined with effective network monitoring and policy enforcement is an essential requirement for businesses to protect business assets and resources. It discusses the potential loss to business from employee misuse of internet access and the danger from external sources. Necessity of an Acceptable Internet Use Policy for Business The internet is an integral part of today’s business resources. Organizations, large and small use the internet to improve organizational efficiencies. Businesses use the internet for everything from worldwide sales using websites, workforce collaboration using email and network data access, and for business research. In most business organizations, all types of devices, from desktop computers to cell phones and PDA’s, allow workers to access the internet and send and receive email on demand. A 2008 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 53% of Americans are employed, and 96% of these workers have some access to these tools. (Madden, M. & Jones, S., 2008). This allows workers instant access to websites, email and instant messages, but uncontrolled access exposes a business organization to a great risk of financial loss. All businesses must manage this risk through the implementation of an Internet Use Policy combined with employee education, effective usage...
Words: 2537 - Pages: 11
...ELECTRONIC MONITORING SYSTEM. INTRODUCTION Due to the continuous evolving of surveillance technology, the firm of Just Information Communication Technology Limited (JICTL) is desirous to implement a system that will enable it monitor their employee electronically in order to measure their productivity. Since “one of the biggest issues of the information age is that of privacy” (Andrew A. Adams & Rachel J. Mccrindle, 2011, P. 211). This report will address the relevant issues on privacy with regards to implementing this project and make necessary recommendations. ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE OF HUMAN (EMPLOYEE) IN A WORK PLACE Electronic surveillance of employees in a work place can be described as the monitoring of the activities (work conduct) of employees by the employer by the means of electronic device. The monitoring aspect may include some or all of the following areas: • E-mail • Voice mail • Employee location • Telephone conversation • Internet usage • CCTV (Video surveillance) etc. There are various reasons why employers may want to monitor the activities of their employee. One of such reasons is to ensure system security and operation (Andrew A. Adams & Rachel J. Mccrindle, 2011, P. 212-218). The firm of JICTL is implementing this system for the purpose of measuring employee productivity. For the fact that electronic communication has become so important in the modern workplace with the use of e-mail, the internet, telecommuting, and corporate intranets, employers...
Words: 846 - Pages: 4
...Throughout this paper I will be illustration many questions around “Electronic Surveillance of Employees”. I will discuss the video and explain where an employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace, whether or not if it makes a difference if an employee is in an open area workspace or an enclosed office space, explain if Herman’s need to know whether his salespersons are honest is a sufficient ground for utilizing electronic surveillance, to what extent an employer can engage in electronic surveillance of employees and at last explain to what extent the inclusion of innocent, unaware third-parties is such surveillance determine whether it is legal. In the video the manager is electronically listening in on his sales team and confronts a salesman who is making humorous false statements to a customer in order to close a deal. The manager confronts the salesman who justifies his actions by stating it was a joke. The manager enforces him to provide the customer will the correct information and documents. Another saleslady realizes what is going on and confronts the manager and says she is leaving to protect her right of privacy. The video is a little extreme but gets the point across, is electronic surveillance of employees the lawful and ethical thing to do. This is a sales job so the manager can justify the electronic surveillance as a way to help the sales team better themselves or as a simple monitor system to make sure that the employee is not risking...
Words: 1338 - Pages: 6
... | |12/16/2010 | Executive Summary According to a 2009 survey conducted by American Management Association (AMA), the top two reasons employers provided for monitoring their employees were performance evaluation and quality control. Workplace monitoring may sound wrong, but it provides many benefits to an organization and its staff members, such as lower operating costs and high production rates. However, in the process of monitoring employees, employees’ privacy rights are violated mainly through computer monitoring, telephone monitoring and background checks. Productivity is one of the main reasons cited by employers for introducing electronic surveillance and employee testing to the workplace. Employers believe that corporate survival demands continuous improvements in employee productivity. Errors, poor products, and slow service hurt business. Therefore, monitoring and testing to identify and correct these problems are considered to be sound management practices (Wright). However, the following will analyze privacy in the workplace from an ethical point of view using three workable theories: Kantianism, Act Utilitarianism, and Social Contract Theory. Privacy...
Words: 3902 - Pages: 16
...Assignment One 1 Abstract Many employers recognize that need for a specific policies regarding surveillance or monitoring in the workplace. The primary purpose of such policies is to eliminate any expectation of privacy on the part of an employee utilizing company technologies or property for personal use. However, even when an employer has a policy, it is nonetheless common for employers to tolerate some degree of private usage by employees. This is one dilemma for employers and the main purpose for establishing a "zero tolerance". In any event, the employer's written policy and actual practices should clarify to employees specifically and inform third parties through implied or informed consent the expectations of the employer or business utilizing surveillance. Assignment One 2 Question One 1. Explain where an employee can reasonably expect to have privacy in the workplace. In the office workplace there are typically two types of workspaces, an open area, in which there are several desks and where conversations can be overhead, or an enclosed office, in which—when the door is closed—conversations cannot be heard and where one would expect virtually total privacy. Explain whether it makes a difference if an employee is in an open area or in an enclosed office. Surveillance is becoming commonplace in the work environment. Generally speaking, employers are permitted to monitor by surveillance "public" areas. When surveillance is hidden, however, and when the...
Words: 1870 - Pages: 8
... Newport Electronics had the legal right to do what they did. “The Fourth Amendment to the Constitution stipulates the “right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures.” But this right applies only to the government and not to private organizations.” (Spinello, 2014) In many corporations, there are very specific policies about the use of company equipment and the monitoring of employee activities on that equipment. In Julie’s situation, she never sent the email in question and monitoring tools picked up alert words that made her company officials want to review it. I think Newport should have investigated the situation more thoroughly and given her a warning instead of firing her. Often times, employees actually use typing something out as a means to vent their frustrations in order to move beyond a particular situation. This is actually a good management tip so that you are not venting your frustrations as they are happening. Remove yourself from the situation, write it down, consider your tone and decide if it’s worth continuing once you have had a chance to calm down and think the situation through a bit more. Monitoring of employee activities are becoming more commonplace. “Employers are particularly keen on monitoring clickstream data and website activities because they are anxious to find out who has been wasting company resources at recreational sites.” (Spinello, 2014) There are good reasons...
Words: 570 - Pages: 3
... This paper will examine the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to the case of City of Ontario v. Jeff Quon that has provided a significant change of the views on workplace privacy law in this country. The majority of U.S. employees believe that it is their constitutional right to have reasonable workplace privacy. However, most U.S. employees are unaware that their constitutional right to privacy is contingent upon the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment’s rights to freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. This constitutional right is generally applied to state actions and they are at times limited to protecting only federal, state, and municipal employees. Furthermore, this paper will discuss the influences of Fourth Amendment jurisprudence to private sector employment because of the parallel common law standard of “reasonable expectations of privacy” which is the primary piece of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) the federal legislation suggesting employee privacy interest in prohibiting unlawful access and certain disclosures of contents in certain forms of communication. The issue of privacy is a large concern in the workplace. With the expanding of new technology, many employees are concern about his/her privacy in the workplace. Employees have the right to go to work knowing that his/her employer will not invade their privacy. The rights to privacy in the workplace only provide limited protection for workers against monitoring and breach...
Words: 1639 - Pages: 7
...“How Internal Controls can be used to prevent fraud” Jonathan Evans Dr. M. A. Turner ACC 455 Auditing 16 October 2011 Abstract This research paper will explain the use of internal control procedures as a way to prevent and or deter business related theft caused by employees. It will feature an introduction explaining what internal controls are, who is responsible for them, and detailing the five components that make up internal controls. Then there will be a number of examples showing how internal control procedures are used in a business, why they are necessary, and what type of fraud they prevent. The end of the report will have a conclusion summarizing the information and my personal opinion on the subject. All sources for the research paper will be referenced on the final page. Introduction Internal controls are policies and procedures designed to help an organization accomplish specific goals or objectives, keep a record of the organization’s resources, and prevent or detect fraud. The Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) states that internal control has five components: control environment, risk assessment, information and communication, control activities, and monitoring. The control environment is made up of the policies and procedures that reflect the ethical standards of the top management and owners of an organization. Control environment procedures act as the foundation for the other four components of internal...
Words: 1156 - Pages: 5
