Inside-Logger Blog

For most office-goers, their work PC becomes pretty much their PC. However, it would be quite troublesome to live with this delusion as your office computer is pretty much a shared computer. But more importantly, it is your employer’s computer – and whether you want to hear this or not, employers are pretty possessive about their computers. Most employers want to make sure that their employees are being productive and to this end they will monitor everything that you do on your computer, including the mail you send or receive, the calls you make, the sites you browse - absolutely everything that you do on your PC. Is this legal? Well, let’s say it isn’t illegal. Employers can, and they do. So here’s where you need to be careful.

As there’s no regulation yet in place as to how much your employer can keep tabs on you, there’s a lot of it. Privacy Rights, an NGO that works to promote online privacy has these statistics up:

• Three quarters of employers monitor their employees’ web site visits in order to prevent inappropriate surfing.
• 65% use software to block connections to web sites deemed off limits for employees.
• A third track keystrokes and time spent at the keyboard.
• 50% of employers review and retain electronic mail messages.

Bit of a shocker, isn’t it? These statistics were compiled by the American Management Association in 2005, and considering the way the internet runs, there have probably been dramatic changes since then. However, the good news was that the statistics also revealed that over 80% of these employers are very transparent about these monitoring activities and also have explicit regulations about the extent of this monitoring. In case you think you come under the other 20%, you had better check with the top brass.

In many cases, online monitoring also extends to the phone line. An employer can record and listen to calls made by you to clients or customers. However, some states (California, for example) require that the employee be notified of this. In any case, a little discretion never hurt anybody. Also, it is good sense to be aware of whether your company is indulging in such practices and what the law in your state dictates.