It’s no secret; companies monitor their employees! In doing so, they can be
reassured that the best work is getting done with minimal distractions, as well as feeling secure that their employees are behaving in a manner that doesn’t tarnish the company’s reputation.

Thanks to technology, the amount and variety of ways that an organization can monitor their employees has grown dramatically. For example, companies
have the ability to observe activity on their computers, have surveillance set up around the office, track company cars, check all social media, etc. An organization has the right to essentially observe anything that is created on company equipment or anything that interferes with a company’s production. They can do it in a manner that is virtually undetectable.

As an employee, this information can feel rather intimidating, to say the least. Companies don’t want to lose the trust of their workers; violating privacy can hurt morale and cause tension between employees and management. This means a company should always make their policies clear. Whether it is in the employee handbook, on the job application, written policies, etc., the company’s policy will be communicated to the employee and should always be available. Looking at this in terms of being an employee, it’s important to understand that a majority of times, a company is only monitoring to cover any liabilities. The good news is that most organizations aren’t monitoring for malicious purposes and handle their monitoring similarly, and are transparent about their doing so.

It’s important for everyone to have a full understanding of what the privacy policies are when working for a company. Having transparency about monitoring situations will build a trust between management and the work staff. Behaving appropriately is the best way for both employers and employees to work effectively and cohesively with minimal conflict.