Employees Being Watched by Big Brother

Interesting report over at the American Management Association.  There is an increase in the monitoring of employee use of technology in the workplace.  Monitoring included watching which web sites employees visited and storing/reviewing employee emails.  Other technology tidbits include the use of software to block access to “inappropriate” web sites, monitoring time at the keyboard, and the use of software to record employee keystrokes.

On the positive side, companies appear to be doing a good job in informing employees when they employ these technology surveillance methods.  They have also begun to create instant messaging rules for employees.  It doesn’t stop with computers, as telephones, cell phones, and camera phones are bringing interesting wrinkles to the workplace rule book.

In short, watch what you do at work.  Your technological DNA is being gathered by your employers — and they’re not afraid to use it.

Links:

• 2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey: Many Companies Monitoring, Recording, Videotaping—and Firing—Employees
• Google Blogger Fired
• via The Monster Blog

Comments

[Asterix]

Freaking neo nazi - communists!

[tully monster]

Oh, for heaven sakes. It's 2005. If this guy didn't realize that his blog would be found rather quickly by the outside world and gain a wide following, he's too dumb to be working for Google.

[Bert]

To be honest, I don't really know what the guy wrote about, but I'd like to know. Many companies, who realize blogging is now a fact of life, have instituted blogging guidelines for employees who wish to blog about their job.