Digital technology has opened up business to the global market and many companies have spread their ventures further out via the Internet. This means that organizations now are not only internally connected but communicate with third parties way more and share sensitive data outside their own networks, which requires extra care when handling security.

In a small businesses and startups with less than 10 employees, security measures are easily introduced and controlled, but the situation is way more complex for major corporations and big firms with 500 and more employees. That is why most of those companies choose some sort of employee monitoring tool in order to keep track of all the data exchanged and to better evaluate employee productivity.

However, not all monitoring measures are entirely ethical. We’ll go through some of the points where should ethical employers and ethical employees draw the lines.

E-mail communication

The Information Age we work and live in today has brought us new means of communications. In the corporate world, e-mails became the new in-office memorandum as most of the business related information is shared through this channel.

The problem arises when employees use corporate property (computers or phones) for private matters. In order to prevent valuable data from leaking or as a means of unveiling inappropriate language and work harassment, employers are introducing e-mail monitoring. All messages are stored on servers and communication flows can be retrieved on demand.

This is a minimally intrusive method and, if communicated transparently by the employers, represents a fair policy. Unfortunately, many employees still let their guards down and commit acts which are subject to disciplinary action. The 2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey (AMA, 2008) stated that a few key reasons for firing employees included: violation of company policy (64%); inappropriate language (62%); excessive personal use (26%); breach of confidentiality rules.

Web and data surveillance

Many employers admit monitoring Internet use and data storage of their employees, not only to protect their business from legal liability, but also to produce more efficient employees.

Such a statement is relatable especially if you take into consideration the fact that many web pages contain ads and pop ups which hold different viruses. This malware can pose a great threat to your data security. The employee may not click on that content deliberately but the intrusive crawlers can still breach your firewall and cause you to lose valuable data.

This is why many corporations settle for a data monitoring system which stores a backup of each and every device in company property on a remote server or cloud so critical data can be restored if needed.

Time tracking

Another good example of fair employee monitoring is tracking time efficiency. In most companies with 9 to 5 work hours, salaries are provided for the period of business hours and the obligations a certain role holds, but not for the actual time spent working.

American Time Use Survey has found that employees in large companies spend more than half of their office time on non-work-related activities. This can be costly for an employer, especially if a collaborator is charging an hourly fee. That’s why companies often use some type of project management tool to track the progress of their contributors and estimate a fair compensation for the work which has been done.

Employees can use the same tool to organize their time for work by specified tasks and plan ahead much needed breaks which will ensure their productivity remains at a desired level.

Social media accounts

With the Digital Era came new business propositions like Online Marketing Managers, Community Managers and other Internet based jobs.

The question which appears in the case of a Social Media Manager (SMM), for example, is how to distinguish if an employee is being productive or wasting time? The role of a SMM is consisted of being active on all social media platforms and building an online community for the company. Some employee monitoring tools regard these sites as a waste of time, so there should be an exception to the rule.

Also, writing content for company blogs and other copy material requires extensive research and that usually means scouring the Internet for relevant information, which sometimes includes visiting leisure web pages which may seem like an unproductive activity but actually is in the desireable framework. Consequently, these dedicated roles should have special granted access in contrast to other employees.

Location

Now, besides monitoring online work, some employers go to greater lengths and try to cover other areas of their worker’s activities.

For example, if you provide services like setting up and maintenance of air conditioning, or your sales representatives go door to door, or you have any other type of field agents, you are bound to own a car fleet which means that a sufficient amount of money will be spent on gas and petrol on a monthly basis.

In order to keep track of the exact mileage each car will cover, some companies use GPS to track their mobile employees. The logic regarding the company cars is understandable, but should employers track the location of mobile phones as well? This may seem as a slight breach of privacy, as employees carry the phones with them even after office hours so their whereabouts should be irrelevant to the employer.

Drawing the line

The mentioned few measures are understandable from an employer's point of view, however there are certain lengths some companies go to which may seem like civil espionage rather than security measures.

One such example is the company Buffer, which introduced Jawbone UP wristbands for all of their employees. This accessory monitors everything - from movement, sleep, nutritional choices to biological stats like heart rate and blood pressure. In addition to measuring personal details, all of this data is available to the entire company.

Do companies really need to take up such drastic measures in order to improve their work environment and protect valuable information?

What do you think about employee monitoring? Are such tools necessary? Do you have an experience of your own you would like to share? Feel free to comment.