By Joanna Boydak, LiveCareer
Think your privacy is protected at the office? Think again. In fact, if you're reading
this at work, there's a very good chance that your boss is, too.
While we no longer live in the days when Henry Ford could freely inspect his employees'
homes, technological advances have erased the idea of
employee privacy at work.
Employers monitor employees to rate employee performance and to take action to address
security risks, fraud and sexual harassment. This means that employees today are
exposed to a wide variety of privacy-invasive procedures such as drug and psychological
testing, video surveillance, phone monitoring, location tracking, computer monitoring,
e-mail filtering, instant message archiving and keystroke logging.
Industries notorious for their extensive practice of employee monitoring include
financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceuticals, insurance and government
sector jobs. But no workplace is safe from workplace privacy invasions.
How private are your activities at your workplace? Not very. Here are some things
you need to know:
Your employer can--and likely does--read your e-mail. More companies than ever are
reading employee email.
Nearly three-fourths use technology tools to sort the email, but 40 percent actually
have a real person who reads and reviews emails. So if you're one of the 79 percent
of employees who use your work email to send or receive personal message, beware!
And you're not even safe using your personal account on your work computer, since
emails are sent through the same server, giving employers access to everything.
Your company probably tracks your phone use. Although the law varies among states,
employers often monitor employee phone use. According to a recent surveillance study,
51 percent of companies track the numbers dialed and time spent on the phone, 12
percent record phone conversations, and 8 percent review voicemail messages. Some
states don't require a warning to employees that this extensive monitoring is in
effect; you can find out by asking your
human resources department.
Your employer may monitor your personal text messages on your company cell phone.
Employees of private companies should have no expectation of privacy when using
company-issued hand-held communication devices. However, unlike e-mails that are
stored on the company server, cell phone companies store text message records--and
many companies do not pay for access.
Even your IM conversations aren't sacred. Back in 2005, only 10 percent of companies
tracked their employees' instant messages. However, as IM's have become more pervasive,
more companies are investing in tracking software for IM monitoring.
Your boss can monitor your Facebook account, even if you restrict public viewing.
If you access your favorite social media profiles on your work computer, you give
your employer instant access to your entire profile. In fact, a recent study reveals
that more than 70 percent of corporations have access to employees' use of
social media .
Your employer can access your personal photos, videos, music, and more. Do you ever
charge your phone or camera through your work computer? According to Jeffrey Keener,
senior security
engineer at Guidance, a company that produces company security software,
"If you had an iPod or a digital camera charging through the USB port, we could
browse all the files that were stored onto the device."
To top it all off, your boss can probably track your every move. If your workplace
has a CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) system, then you are already aware that your every
move is being watched. But there are more subtle ways for employers to track your
location. Employee IDs and Smartcards force employees to scan their entry throughout
the business building, allowing employers to know your exact location and where
you are spending your time. Security software also has the ability to track how
long you spend away from your computer and the GPS program on your company-issued
cell phone can provide your exact location at all times.
When you spend a minimum of 8 hours a day on-the-job, it's essential that you find
some time for yourself, a moment or two to take care of personal business. This
freedom is one of the factors that contribute to your overall
job satisfaction.
But bear in mind that this workplace "freedom" isn't guaranteed. With some computer-monitoring
programs priced as low as $30, more and more employers see employee monitoring as
a valuable investment. So, the next time you decide to surf the Web for non-work
related reasons, send a personal email through your work email account or schedule
your next doctor's appointment while at work, just remember that you are likely
being watched.