Monitoring Employees on Networks: Unethical or Good Business?

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TABLE OF CONTENT

SUMMARY OF THE CASE STUDY…………………….…………………………..2

INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..3

DEFINING (MONITORING A NETWORK ON A SYSTEM)……………………...4

WHAT EMPLOYEES DO DURING THEIR WORKING HOURS…………………5

PROBLEMS OF USING INTERNET AND EMAILS DURING WORK HOURS….6

SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS…………………………………………………………..8

CASE STUDY QUESTIONS………………………………………………………….9

CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………….11

REFRENCES…………………………………………………………………………12

SUMMARY OF THE CASE STUDY

This case seeks to address the ethics of monitoring employees use of networks or the necessity of monitoring it to improve the companies business. While a controversial subject, the cons of using companies resources for personal use far outweighs the question of ethics. What was highlighted as important is having a clearly written set of guidelines in the company’s policy, that will protect the company and reduce their expenses from employees usage and alert employees that they will be monitored so that it would not be considered unethical.

INTRODUCTION

Workplace privacy continues to be a hot topic for many unions and employee-rights groups. However, there are many legitimate reasons for an organization to want to know what’s happening on its computers. It’s not hard to understand the strong financial incentives that may exist for keeping tabs on employees' workstations, with reasons ranging from industrial espionage, to sabotage, and workplace harassment suits.

DEFINING (MONITORING A NETWORK ON A SYSTEM)

Monitoring a network on a system means that managers views, follow up and keeps on track employees’ personal activities such as emails, files, and internet usage and all activities on desktop in order to protect their companies to prevent unacceptable behavior as well.

“If employees use company computers for their work, companies often utilize employee monitoring software that allow them to track everything employees do on their computers. For example, what emails were received, what applications were used and what keys were pressed. In addition, employee monitoring software is a means of employee monitoring, and allows company administrators to monitor and supervise all their employee computers from a central location. It is normally deployed over a business network and allows for easy centralized log viewing via one central networked PC. Sometimes, companies opt to monitor their employees using remote desktop software instead”. (1).

(1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employee_monitoring

WHAT EMPLOYEES DO DURING THEIR WORKING HOURS

I have done a quick friendly interview at my workplace , regarding their usage of internet for personal issues , below are the details:

Place: Sultan Qaboos University, Centre for information systems.

• Date: 22/ 2/ 2017
• Interviewees: 45 worker out of 98 worker at the centre.
• Question: do you use the internet and e-mail for your personal issues during working hours?
• Answer: 42- Yes, 3- No

While working hours, many if not most employees around the world surfing the internet for their personal issues of sending and receiving chats with their family and friends. Employees spend between one and three hours a day surfing the web on personal business at work, depending on Susan M. Heathfield  (1) .

Employees while surfing the internet they shop, do banking, visit fashion, sports, child and adults sites, retail outlets, pay bills, chat either on Facebook,WhatsApp,linked in  with their families and friends, tweet on Twitter, surfing the Instagram and more.

At least 25% of employee’s on-line time is spent on nonwork-related surfing, that what Michele Schatz said in her presentation on March 7, 2005.

1. https://www.thebalance.com/surfing-the-web-at-work-1919261 , November 07, 2016

PROBLEMS OF USING INTERNET AND EMAILS DURING WORK HOURS

Internet abuse cause problems inside institutions and that may lead the company to live loss. Here, I would like to mention some of those problems that I have collect during my search through google , and they are:

1. Employee productivity is lost:

In which employees preoccupied with their personal businesses and do not focus on their work duties. That’s will lead to productivity decrease at the beginning , but it may lead to loss if not solved.

1. Employee morale is low:

Low employee morale is one of the worst problems that may face any company. Low morale means the company has once again to build its strength that it has from its employees because there is no mean of morale free staff.  Moreover, “ If personal Internet use includes inappropriate sites like pornography, it can also create uncomfortable situations between employees and adversely affect morale”. (1)

1. Employees who witness their co-workers surfing the web:

Either they will:

1. complain silently to themselves
2. complain to other co-workers
3. complain to supervisor

1. Sexual harassment lawsuits
2. Trade secrets can be lost or stolen:

(1) Staff Monitoring Solutions: Internet Monitoring in the Workplace

This if stolen , than competitive advantage will be lost, which mean a severe decrease in the company’s profitability.

1. Personal e-mails can have damaging viruses:

Especially from desktops of those who do not have an IT background and who will not be able to discover such issues that may damage a very important thing in the company just like servers. Servers are the most important things in each and every company because they contain almost every single information of the company trade and work secrets.