“Do you agree to use your office computer for personal work?”
“Yes”
“You are guilty as
charged”
We’ve all used our office internet and computers to do some
personal errands. We’ve also sat at work and shopped or even used FaceBook and
Twittered around. If that was a crime then well, we’re all criminals then,
aren’t we?
It might seem that your employer would have no idea about
what you’re doing on your computer when you pretend to work but its time to
burst that happy bubble. Your boss knows exactly what you do on your computer
and when you do it, it’s a blessing of technology and employee monitoring strategies.
We usually don’t take the warning, “I’m keeping an eye on you” very seriously
but its time we should.
New technology and spyware applications are installed in all
the devices employees work on. Although their basic task is to identify
employee performance and the use of company’s resources they also aim to
provide employers with ample information about their employees. With technology
like packet-sniffers, employers can easily go through all the internet content
you have viewed or are still viewing. Employers know the websites you visit and
what content you open in those websites. They also have complete access to all
the incoming and outgoing emails in your mailbox and whatever online data you
download. Anything and everything you do on Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox or
Internet Explorer is easily accessible to your employers.
So if you’re opening Facebook to reply to a friend’s wall
post or post a status about how boring or hectic work is, think twice because
your boss would know exactly what you type in and what comments you receive.
Although this is a breach of personal privacy it still is a part of employee
monitoring. Every time you open EBay or Amazon or any retail website to ponder
around products every once in a while to break your work monotony… well guess
who else would know? Your employer would be notified and hence would know
exactly what you’re doing.
Apart from packet-sniffers employers are also using desktop
monitoring to keep an eye on you. PC monitoring identifies whatever you type on
your keyboard and then notifies your boss about it. If you are connected to the
company’s portal and spending time chatting with your peers your boss would know
exactly what you type. PC monitoring software also takes up print screen shots
of your desktop screen and transmits them to your boss. Your employer would
know at all times what you’re doing at the computer and the print screen shot
would show the employer if you’re conducting serious office work or playing
Pac-man on your computer.
Finally employers use log-files, a history of data
compilation in your computer. Whatever content you have visited or downloaded
your employer would receive information about all of it with log-files.
Employers would know if you’ve download games onto your computer with the
company’s Wi-Fi or filled your ITunes and IPod with mp3 songs using the
company’s internet resources. Many times employers warn about such actions and might
even cut back some pay from your personal salary.
Your boss knows exactly what you’re doing on your computer
and when you’re doing it so every time you open up FaceBook, EBay or decide to
download a couple of mp3 songs for fun think twice because all your content is
easily viewable and accessible. So here is a fair warning, next time just think
before you type any funny or rude comment against your bosses tie, he might be
the one reading it even before you have posted it.
Author Bio:
Beth has been playing with android spy software
technology for as far as she can remember. His pieces are funfair of
information for his readers on what's new and what's hot in the cell spyware reviews market.
