The Pros And Cons Of Employee Monitoring Of Social Networking

The Arguments
The Wall Street Journal posted an article in October 2014 showing the two opposing opinions regarding employer monitoring of social networking. Nancy Flynn, the founder and executive director of the ePolicy Institute, held the stance that, “Keeping an eye on employees helps companies protect themselves.” In her opinion, “Management has a right and responsibility to monitor how employees are using social media at all times.” Flynn argues that organizations must be proactive in their approach to social networking. The rapid increase in use by employees equally increases the chance of damages, whether intentional or unintentional, to a company’s reputation or through security and information leaks. By being proactive, an organization can act more quickly to rectify the situation and hold those responsible accountable. As far as hiring practices are concerned she argues

Due to the ease of misuse, many organizations find it necessary to monitor communications. This is done to ensure proper use of company assets, maintain reputation, and manage productivity. This can include email, phone, video, and the internet. In an article by The Entrepreneur Andrew Walls, security and risk officer at Stamford, suggests that the key to ethical communications monitoring is in management knowing the difference between monitoring and surveillance and that they are transparent about their actions. General monitoring of abuse with prior disclosure to employees is legal and reasonable in the workplace. What should be avoided is more intrusive and personal surveillance, without disclosure, consent, or just cause. An employer could also unintentionally discover personal information about employees, such as religion, sexual orientation, medical issues, or political views that could open the organization up to possible lawsuits over discrimination. (Richmond,