More Than Half Say Better Rules Will Help Productivity; One in Three Say Employers Should Monitor Employees
TORONTO --(Business Wire)-- Dec. 5, 2007 Canadians believe too much time is being wasted on personal email and Internet use at work, with more than half calling for clearer guidelines and one in three actually saying employers should monitor such activity, according to a new Monster.ca poll.
The online poll, in which 3,457 Canadians participated, asked if employers should be allowed to monitor staff use of email and the Internet in order to improve productivity.
More than half, 57%, said no to monitoring employees but agreed that employers should provide "clearer guidelines" that would serve to maintain both productivity and trust in the workplace.
Perhaps surprisingly, nearly one in three people responding to the poll (29%) said yes to the idea of employers monitoring email and Internet use, agreeing that "people spend an excessive amount of time on personal email and surfing the Internet."
The remaining 14% said "never" to the idea of their employer monitoring email and Internet use, calling it "an invasion of privacy that shows a lack of trust."
"Canadians seem to be providing an honest assessment of what is happening on the job and it makes sense for employers to listen and to consider what can be done to strike the right balance between respecting employee privacy and keeping productivity up amid email and Internet use by staff," said Gabriel Bouchard, Monster Canada's vice-president and general manager. "A workplace built on trust and transparency will be far more productive than one where the boss monitors every conversation, move or mouse-click."
Studies show that more than half of employers admit to monitoring workers' email and Internet usage for one reason or another. Bouchard noted that the law takes the point of view of employers and gives them the right to do so but going that far does little to build trust or improve morale on the job.
"Not all companies believe in workplace monitoring and recent studies have shown that many bosses actually oppose monitoring of employee Internet and email use because it reduces trust in the workplace," Bouchard said.
For workers who are working in a "deprivatized" workplace, Bouchard cites the following steps to protect their privacy at work:
-- Use your own cell phone for private calls;
-- "Launder" your email and don't post anything you wouldn't want your boss to read;
-- Your Internet path can always be monitored so save the games and racy sites for home;
-- Keep blank note cards in your desk and write messages to people when you have something private to say.
To find out more about online privacy and related issues in the workplace, visit Monster.ca for these and other articles: Privacy at Work; Big Brother is Watching you Cyberlollygag; and Work Blogger, Beware.
About Monster Canada
Monster Canada (http://www.Monster.ca) is Canada's leading online career resources portal - a bilingual, user-friendly site that is improving the employment and recruitment experience in today's competitive job market. Headquartered in Montreal, Monster Canada is part of Monster, the leading global careers and recruitment resource online. With a local presence in key markets in North America, Europe, and Asia, Monster works for everyone by connecting employers with quality job seekers at all levels and by providing personalized career advice to consumers globally. Through online media sites and services, Monster delivers vast, highly targeted audiences to advertisers. Monster Worldwide is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the NASDAQ 100. To learn more about Monster's industry-leading employer products and services, please visit http://solutions.monster.ca.
