Monitoring Employee Email and Internet Usage: Ethical

School
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology**We aren't endorsed by this school
Course
ECON 545
Subject
Information Systems
Date
Dec 11, 2024
Pages
2
Uploaded by JudgeWorld765
Case Study QuestionsShould managers monitor employee e-mail and Internet usage? Why or why not?With the debate being whether it is ethical or unethical for the managers to monitor theemployees' email and internet usage within the organization, the benefits of monitoring themsupersede the contrary opinion, and therefore, managers should monitor the employees' email aninternet usage while they are at work. This is because the purpose of being in the organizationshould only be aligned with the goals and objectives of the company rather than on personalissues and interests. In most cases, the employees use emails and the internet for their personalinterests, and this leads to poor employee productivity, hence reducing the overall organizationalperformance. Through the streaming o videos especially on YouTube can slow down the internetconnection hence affecting the operations since with the slow internet, it is difficult for thebusiness to communicate effectively with their clients. The employees may also engage in illegalbusiness which could ruin the organizational reputation in public, and therefore, it is importantfor the managers to monitor the employee activities. In addition, these employees may use theemail and internet to share confidential information, especially to the competitors and this wouldaffect the overall competitive edge for the company in the global market. Therefore, to avoid allthese issues arise, it is critical and paramount for the managers to monitor the employees’ emailsand their internet usage. In addition, it is essential for the managers to make policies which willregulate or determine the sites which employees aren't allowed to access.Describe an effective e-mail and Web use policy for a company.First and foremost, it is essential for the organization to inform the employees that any activitythey do within the organization is monitored, to create awareness. Secondly, apart from
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monitoring their email and internet usage, it is critical for the company to set or design effectiveemail and web use policy which regulates the employee behavior or actions while using theemail and internet. They should outline a clear policy on the sites which shouldn’t be visited oraccessed while in the organization such as the pornographic sites, among other sites which addno value to the company. Also, the policy should outline when the employees can use theinternet to communicate or chat especially when doing work-related activities such as marketingthe company products and services on the internet. They can also use the internet to respond tocustomer queries concerning the organizational products or services rendered. Lastly, thecompany can use the email monitoring software which will help in flagging certain types ofmessages and keywords which may be a threat to the company. Should managers inform employees that their Web behavior is being monitored? Orshould managers monitor secretly? Why or why not?In our opinion, it is good to inform the employees that their activities within the company arebeing monitored. Not necessary the email and internet use, but it is good to tell them that all theiractions are being monitored while at the place of work. Employees may feel disrespected whenthey find the managers are monitoring them without any notification since this will be like aninvasion to their privacy. This is because the same email contains various personal emails whicharen't related in any way with the company, and hence any monitoring without notificationwould be classified as an invasion of privacy. Such actions may affect employee productivitysince the work environment will be considered unfriendly. Therefore, in the process ofmonitoring, it is essential for the management to ensure the working environment is friendly, andone way to make it friendly is by ensuring they notify the employees of the monitoring process.
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