Discuss the issues related to Internet usage and personal privacy from both a business perspective and an employee standpoint. What should a small business do to decrease conflict?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The issues center around privacy and monitoring usage.  While businesses are known to use cookies to collect data on their customers for marketing research, employees may see the company using that information to gain information from the employee's business computer as an invasion of privacy.  A good company policy for customers should be to inform them of such usage and to promise not to sell that information to a third party.  The same promise should be issued to an employee.Some businesses may be concerned with employees wasting time on personal use of the Internet while at work and therefore monitor the amount of time an employee spends on personal emails, shopping, or surfing. They may also feel that employees may inadvertently expose the company system to viruses and malware, causing harm to the entire system. Employees see this practice as an invasion of privacy, especially when limited use of the Internet may increase employee productivity.  Also, some employee positions require the worker to be online to monitor customer trends.  Again, the business needs to make the employee aware that the company is monitoring usage to prevent possible lawsuits.