An employee should have no reasonable expectation of privacy while using the computer system at work. According to the 2005 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey conducted by the American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, 76% of the companies surveyed monitor workers' web site connections. Many companies use special software to block connections to inappropriate sites. In the latest survey 65% of companies reported blocking some sites. This is a 27% increase since 2001.

The greatest concern for most employers is lost productivity. Certainly a worker who spends an average of over two hours on adult web sites could find a more productive use for his time. A close second to Internet monitoring is the monitoring of content in e-mail. In the latest survey, 55% of the employers reported reviewing workers' e-mail. While most businesses are less concerned with your note to your buddies about where to watch the big game, they are concerned that e-mail and instant messaging creates a permanent record of an interaction. These records can be subpoenaed in the event of a lawsuit. In fact, 13% of the firms in the survey reported legal activity that was initiated as a result of an e-mail or instant message.

Companies routinely archive e-mail for their own protection. Many firms employ software that checks for key words such as the title of a secret project. Some companies scan out-bound documents for words such as "resume” or phrases like "references” or "salary history”. In some cases it may be difficult for a company to discipline an employee for sending such documents however it does provide some insight into their activity during the work-day. It can also provide some clues into potential areas prone to key defections.

Your employer's right to monitor your use of company equipment does not begin and end with the computer. The number of employers who monitor the amount of time emp

loyees spend on the phone and track the numbers called has jumped to 51%, up from 9% in 2001. While improper use of the telephone is more difficult to prove, long phone calls to numbers that are obviously not work-related should be avoided at all costs.

The bottom line is that more employers are taking advantage of the technology that exists to track the use of company assets. Make sure your read your companies policies on e-mail, Internet and telephone usage carefully. Violation of these policy can be hazardous to your employment.

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