Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Telecommunication, the Internet, and Wireless Technology

INTERACTIVE SESSION : PEOPLE

Monitoring Employees on Network: Unethical or Good Business?

1. Should managers monitor employee e-mail and Internet usage?  Why or why not?

Ø  Managers should monitor employee e-mail and Internet usage because managers worry about the loss of time and employee productivity when employees are focusing on personal rather than companies business.

Ø  Too much time on personal business translates into lost revenue.

Ø  Some employees may even be billing time they spend pursuing personal interests online to clients, thus overcharging them.

Ø  It can also clog the company’s network so that legitimate business work cannot be performed.

Ø  Management in many firms fear that racists, sexually explicit or other potentially offensive material accessed or traded by their employees could result in adverse publicity and even lawsuits for the firm.

Ø  Companies also fear leakage of confidential information and trade secrets through e-mail or social networks.

2. Describe an effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company.

Ø  The effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company is companies should write corporate policies on employee e-mail and Internet use.

Ø  The policies should include explicit ground rules that state, by position or level, under what circumstances employee can use company facilities for e-mail, blogging or Web surfing.

Ø  The policies should also inform employees whether these activities are monitored and explain why.