These days, most workers take a few minutes here and there throughout the day to check their Facebook account or respond to personal emails. While this certainly isn’t a bid deal, some employees can’t keep it to just a few minutes. They’re online constantly, updating statuses, watching videos, and reading non-work-related blogs.

As a result of this kind of behavior, many companies in Woodland – and across America – are monitoring their employees’ Internet usage. And if your employer is one of them, there’s nothing you can do to stop them.

In fact, federal law allows companies to monitor all computer activity, including websites visited and incoming and outgoing emails, even if the email is through a personal account. The reasoning behind the law is that the company owns the computer system that this activity is occurring on – and therefore has a right to access it. You, on the other hand, have no expectation of privacy when using their systems.

As one of Woodland’s leading employment agencies, we’re seeing more and more companies implementing monitoring systems so they can ensure employees are using work resources appropriately. In fact, according to a survey by the American Management Association, two-thirds of employers monitor employee Internet access, while nearly half review files stored on their computers.

Furthermore, your employer does not have to tell you that your computer is being monitored. But before you get upset and annoyed with them, it’s important to understand that there are good reasons for monitoring Internet use at work:

  • Liability. In our litigious society, employers can protect themselves somewhat with monitoring software. They can ensure, for instance, that an employee isn’t publicly discussing trade secrets online or sending out threatening emails to a co-worker.  
  • Productivity. In this economy, with fewer employees expected to do more, employers need to ensure workers are as productive as possible. And spending two hours on Facebook everyday doesn’t amount to getting a lot of work done.

So whether you know your boss is monitoring Internet usage, or you just have a suspicion, the bottom line is that it’s important to be careful while on the job. Keep personal tasks online to a minimum and be mindful of the sites you visit. Remember that you’re there to work, not to watch silly videos on YouTube or make updates to your Facebook status.