Does Your Employer Monitor Your "personal activity"?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The last company I worked for got a new phone system that connected through our ethernet cable. It would run a program with a HUD (head up display) that would show every active phone line in current use, along with the name of the outside source. One morning, several of us saw the HUD show that one of our co-workers was on the line with a recruiting agency. After that, I disabled the HUD startup program on my computer since using it was voluntary. Our boss even told us that the feature was not something he intentionally wanted, but it just came with the phone system.

[William33 110]

No. I am in the monitoring group so I would know.

Good to know, Thanks.

Given that you know the inside story, no wonder you feel comfortable posting to VJ on the company dime...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Given that you know the inside story, no wonder you feel comfortable posting to VJ on the company dime...

[rsn 135]

I never really understood the need to waste time and resources setting up & maintaining a system to monitor employee's internet activities. If an employee is not making his/her deadlines and/or is otherwise doing a poor job, fire them. Otherwise leave them alone and focus on your business for crissakes. I would never work for a company that made me feel like I was living in China or Australia (or any other country that filters internet requests).

Edited March 31, 2010 by rsn

[sara535 15]

I worked in IT a few years ago and my coworker used to randomly read other people's emails all the time, then gossip about stuff. Personal emails, the bosses emails, anything that was going on. It was very very disturbing. I even told both my manager and the owner of the company, and periodically he was 'talked to', but he was so far techologically advanced over anyone else that he would deny it all and cover his tracks quite well. I finally quit and moved on but it left a really bad taste in my mouth about all the employer monitoring stuff.

so yeah, expect that someone is able and willing to read everything.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I worked in IT a few years ago and my coworker used to randomly read other people's emails all the time, then gossip about stuff. Personal emails, the bosses emails, anything that was going on. It was very very disturbing. I even told both my manager and the owner of the company, and periodically he was 'talked to', but he was so far techologically advanced over anyone else that he would deny it all and cover his tracks quite well. I finally quit and moved on but it left a really bad taste in my mouth about all the employer monitoring stuff.

so yeah, expect that someone is able and willing to read everything.

Look if someone had told me that sending live video of my genitals over the web was frowned upon at the office, I would have stopped doing it...Maybe not.

I always assume that someone is going to read anything that I send using the company computers.

Edited March 31, 2010 by IR5FORMUMSIE

[spookyturtle 9,466]

Look if someone had told me that sending live video of my genitals over the web was frowned upon at the office, I would have stopped doing it...Maybe not.

I always assume that someone is going to read anything that I send using the company computers.

Scandal had better be careful with the sheep porn.

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

Scandal had better be careful with the sheep porn.

Ewe got it.

[Martyshk 137]

I know my company does.

But to get in trouble you have to do something drastic.

The only case I am aware of, that a person got in trouble, was because a guy wasn't doing anything for a month so his supervisor got curious about what was going on. Thus his computer use, gate entry card and everything else was looked at.

So for us, if you do your job - you are fine. Most of the sites are blocked anyway (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc).

VJ isn't

[IR5FORMUMSIE 850]

I know my company does.

But to get in trouble you have to do something drastic.

The only case I am aware of, that a person got in trouble, was because a guy wasn't doing anything for a month so his supervisor got curious about what was going on. Thus his computer use, gate entry card and everything else was looked at.

So for us, if you do your job - you are fine. Most of the sites are blocked anyway (gmail, yahoo, hotmail, etc).

VJ isn't

It's so nice to know that the only reason you are here is that you can't go to any other website.

I wonder if you have a porn website and your employer monitors your personal activity, does he have to pay?

Edited March 31, 2010 by IR5FORMUMSIE

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

Thoughts?

Anyone that uses a computer belonging to someone else, including an employer. for ANY personal business, including email, is a MORON and deservges whatever happens to them.

DO NOT use other people's computers for your personal business and you will never have a problem.

Like everything else in life, if you are responsible and sensible, life is easier. If you do stupid things it costs money and bad things happen to you. For example, do not overdraw your bank account and you will never get a bank overdraft fee. If you are not able to do simple math and make mistakes, then out an extra $1000 or so in your account, you will save more in fees than you will ever make in interest. If you are stupid and overdraw your account, you deserve whatever you get.

If you use your employers computer to handle your personal email, you should not be surprised when he reads it also. Duh. Never open your email on the employers computer and you do not have a problem. If you cannot go 8 hours without email (s0mething we lived without for thousands of years)...get an IPhone or something. Or get a life.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I worked in IT a few years ago and my coworker used to randomly read other people's emails all the time, then gossip about stuff. Personal emails, the bosses emails, anything that was going on. It was very very disturbing. I even told both my manager and the owner of the company, and periodically he was 'talked to', but he was so far techologically advanced over anyone else that he would deny it all and cover his tracks quite well. I finally quit and moved on but it left a really bad taste in my mouth about all the employer monitoring stuff.

so yeah, expect that someone is able and willing to read everything.

Your co-worker would have hated me. I never use company cpmputers for personal business. Why is it people just didn't stop doing this and spoil all his fun?

[Niels Bohr 72]

I remembered an IT Admin installed a webcam underneath the super hot sexy Christina Hendricks lookalike secretary desk. His salary is 87k. He was caught, and fired.

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

In that case, I will bring my net-book to the workplace, with the supplied air card for "independent" Internet access. Will that work?

wait until you get home.

[William33 110]

wait until you get home.

So you don't access VJ from work?