AFTER READING this chapter 7 case study below: Case Study: Do Spotlight on: PEOPLE

Monitoring Employees on Networks: Unethical or Good Business on 248-249.

THE BOOK Essentials of MIS (Pearson+)Kenneth Laudon;Jane Laudon;Carol Traver

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SPOTLIGHT ON: PEOPLE

Monitoring Employees on Networks: Unethical or Good Business?

The Internet has become an extremely valuable business tool and never more so than during the pandemic, when it provided a lifeline for many businesses whose employees were forced to shift to working from home. But the Internet can also be a huge distraction, enabling employees to waste valuable company time by surfing inappropriate websites (social networks, shopping, sports, etc.), sending and receiving personal emails, instant messaging with friends, and streaming videos and music.

Many businesses fear that because work-from-home employees do not have to worry about co-workers or managers possibly peering over their shoulders, such behavior will become even more prevalent. To guard against this, companies have turned to increased employee monitoring. According to Gartner, since the beginning of the pandemic, the number of large employers monitoring workers has doubled to 60 percent, and Gartner expects that percentage to continue rising over the next three years to 70 percent. As a result, the market for remote employee-monitoring software is expected to skyrocket, from about $265 million in 2019 to almost $1.4 billion by 2027.

You may not be aware of all the ways an employer can monitor you. For instance, if your employer has an enterprise email account with Google or Microsoft, authorized administrators can access all the emails you send and receive via that account. Add-on monitoring tools such as Teramind, Hubstaff, TimeCamp, InterGuard, ActivTrak, Mobistealth, and Work Examiner, which extend monitoring abilities, are also available. Such tools enable companies to track the movements of your mouse; record your keystrokes, online searches, and video conferences; monitor file downloads and uploads; create transcripts of instant messages; and take screenshots of images displayed on computer screens. Webcams are being used in connection with facial recognition software to verify identity as well as to continually scan for activities that might break the company's rules or for "suspicious" behaviors such as looking away from the monitor for an extended period of time, using a smartphone, or blocking the camera's view.

Even more invasive tracking may be in store in the future. For instance, Fujitsu has created an AI algorithm that reportedly can detect concentration levels by tracking facial muscle movements, which it is touting as applicable for online meetings and sales activities. Microsoft has patented a biometric wellness insights service that uses biometric data, such as heart rate and blood pressure, and haptic feedback, such as how hard keys on a keyboard are pressed, to detect a worker's stress levels and generate an employee anxiety score.

Collaboration tools such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and others provide another way for companies to monitor employees. For instance, Microsoft collects and analyzes data on the frequency of chats, emails, and meetings between its staff and clients using its own Office 365 services to measure employee productivity, management effectiveness, and work-life balance. Tracking emails, chats, and calendar appointments can show how employees spend an average of 20 hours of their work time each week. Microsoft also has enhanced machine-learning capabilities for its Microsoft 365 compliance center tool in the works, which will use artificial intelligence to better detect employee actions.

Microsoft also sells workplace analytics software to other companies, such as Macy's which analyzed data on staff work-life balance by measuring how many hours employees spent sending emails and logging in online outside of business hours. Mortgage giant Freddie Mac used Microsoft's tools to gauge how much time workers spent in meetings and to try to determine whether some of those gatherings were redundant.

In general, US companies have the legal right to monitor employee Internet and email activity while they are at work, although many states are passing new legislation regulating employee monitoring. For instance, in New York, a law that took effect in May 2022 requires employers to provide current and new employees with written notice that it may monitor telephone, email, Internet access, and Internet usage.

Even though it may be legal, is such monitoring unethical, or is it simply good business? Managers worry about the loss of time and employee productivity when employees are focusing on personal rather than company business. Too much time on personal business translates into lost revenue. Some employees may even be billing time they spend pursuing personal interests online to clients, thus overcharging them.

If personal traffic on company networks is too high, it can also clog the company's network so that legitimate business work cannot be performed. GMI Insurance Services, which serves the US transportation industry, found that employees were downloading a great deal of music and streaming video and storing the files on company servers. GMI's server backup space was being eaten up.

When employees use email or the web (including social networks) at employer facilities or with employer equipment, anything employees do, including anything illegal, carries the company's name. Therefore, the employer can be traced and held liable. Management in many firms fear that racist, sexually explicit, or other potentially offensive material accessed or distributed by their employees could result in adverse publicity and even lawsuits for the firm. Even if the company is found not to be liable, responding to lawsuits can run up huge legal bills. Companies also fear leakage of confidential information and trade secrets through email or social networks. The question is whether electronic surveillance is an appropriate tool for maintaining an efficient and positive workplace atmosphere. Some companies try to ban all personal activities on corporate networkszero tolerance. Others block employee access to specific websites or social networks, closely monitor email messages, or limit personal time on the web.

Should all employees be monitored while working? Not necessarily. Not every workforce, workplace, or work culture and environment is a candidate for electronic surveillance. The decision depends on the company and the work environment an employer wants to create. A major concern of some employers is the potential damage to a work culture that fosters trust, employee commitment, and motivation. Electronic surveillance of employees could prove highly counterproductive to such an environment.

No solution is problem-free, but many consultants believe companies should write corporate policies on employee email, social media, and Internet use. The policies should include explicit ground rules that state, by position or by level, under what circumstances employees can use company facilities for email, social media posts, or web surfing. The policies should also inform employees whether these activities are monitored and explain why.

The rules should be tailored to specific business needs and organizational cultures. For example, an investment firm might need to allow many of its employees access to other stock-trading sites. A company dependent on widespread information sharing, innovation, and independence could very well find that monitoring creates more problems than it solves.

Sources: ReportsandData, "Employee Remote Monitoring Software Market Is Expected to Reach USD $1,396.2 Million by 2027," Einnews.com, December 21, 2021; Matthew Finnegan, "Rise in Employee Monitoring Prompts Call for New Rules to Protect Workers," Computerworld.com, November 30, 2021; "New York Imposes New Requirements for Employee Monitoring," National Law Review November 23, 2021; Chris Matyszczyk, "Microsoft Will Now Snitch on You at Work Like Never Before," Zdnet.com, November 7, 2021; Barclay Ballard, "Microsoft Teams May Be Tracking More of Your Info than You Think," Techradar.com, October 6, 2021; Danielle Abril and Drew Harwell, "Keystroke Tracking, Screenshots, and Facial Recognition: The Boss May Be Watching Long after the Pandemic Ends," Washington Post, September 24, 2021; Tatum Hunter, "Here Are All the Ways Your Boss Can Legally Monitor You," Washington Post, September 24, 2021; Matthew Finnegan, "Microsoft Patents Biometric 'Wellness Insights' Tool for Workers," Computerworld.com, April 28, 2021; Matthew Finnegan, "Collaboration Analytics: Yes, You Can Track Employees. Should You?," Computerworld.com, April 12, 2021.

CASE STUDY QUESTIONS

Should managers monitor employee email and Internet usage? Why or why not?

Describe an effective email and web use policy for a company.

Should managers inform employees that their web behavior is being monitored? Or should managers monitor secretly? Why or why not?

AFTER READING this chapter 7 case study abovw: Case Study: Do Spotlight on: PEOPLE

Monitoring Employees on Networks: Unethical or Good Business on 248-249.

THE BOOK Essentials of MIS (Pearson+)Kenneth Laudon;Jane Laudon;Carol Traver

PLEASE HELP ANSWER THESE CASE STUDY QUESTIONS CITE SOURCE STYLE APA

USE 2 REFERENCES AND CITE SOURCE STYLE APA PLEASE AND THANK YOU

NO CHATGPT OR AI NEED TUTOR HELP

DO NOT USE BOOK AS REFERENCE NEED 2 EXTERNAL REFERENCES SITE SOURCE STYLE APA NO AI HELP NEED ONLY TUTOR HELP