Report
on

Issues on Employee Monitoring 

Table of Contents
Abstract 1
Introduction 2
Background 3
Discussions and Findings 4
Productivity Argument 4
Security Argument 6
Creativity Argument 7
Conclusion 8
References 9

Abstract
Employee monitoring has raised concerns from all areas of society – business organizations, employee interest groups, privacy advocates, lawyers, professional ethicists, and every combination possible. Each advocate has its own rationale for or against employee monitoring whether it be economic, legal, or ethical. However, no matter what the form of reasoning, there are some key arguments that emerge from the pool of analysis. These arguments have been used equally from all sides of the debate. The purpose of this paper is to examine three key arguments that have been made with respect to employee monitoring. A survey was conducted to establish the views and the opinions of employees on the topic.

Introduction
Over the past years there has been a dramatic change in the work field brought about by the introduction of new technology. Today technology is one of the most important aspects in humanity and although it may have a positive impact in our lives, it also gives rise to difficulties. Some major concerns include the long-term impact it may have in the society and the fact that technological revolutions are reshaping culture and human nature. This leads to one of its’ challenges which is the assessment of the ethical and policy issues associated with employees monitoring software. On one hand, new technologies and internet provides an opportunity to improve productivity and increase profitability, but on the other hand it also generates the question of ethics and effectiveness. Employers want to be sure their employees are doing a good job and ensure that they are following policies and procedures, however employees find it uncomfortable that their every move whether it be a coffee break or trip to the water cooler are being logged. This is the essential conflict of workplace monitoring. New technologies make it possible for employers to monitor many aspects of their employees' jobs, especially on telephones, computer terminals, through electronic and voice mail, and when employees are using the Internet. Advance technologies also include global positioning systems which enables organization to track an employees every move. Using devices such as GPS sensors in company provided cell phones and cars, infrared LED ID badges, and biometric touch-pads, employers can know whether employee is...

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