Why Monitor Employees?

More companies are monitoring their employees' computer activity. And for good reason, since the company work station has incredible potential for wasted time, risky personal and professional behaviors, and violation of key company policies. Done properly, monitoring is a smart, effective, and legal way to minimize those risks.

• Begin with a full written disclosure of your company's policies governing all aspects of computer use on company time. Explain how monitoring will be done, clearly state the limits of employees' privacy when using company computers, and require each employee's consent in writing to be monitored.
• Educate your employees about how your company's policies improve productivity, minimize security and legal risks, and protect your reputation with customers.
• Spot check (sample) the logs of monitored computers regularly. Regular sampling and review motivates employees to follow the rules and is an efficient way to spot problem behavior.
• Look at how time is spent on each computer. Start with a quick graphic overview. Select View Logs. Then select a computer. You'll see pie charts showing time at each activity, web browsing time by site, and which programs were run for how long.
• For a second-by-second chronological record of all activity on a monitored computer, open Activity History (select View Logs, then a computer, then Activity History).
• Check Web Browsing histories and Screenshots for signs of personal web surfing on company time and visits to offensive or risky sites.
• Look at Keystrokes to find text in correspondence with customers. Look for unprofessional content and weak communication skills.
• Check Applications Run for use of suspicious, unapproved, or dangerous programs.
• Use Keystrokes to assess other types of risky communication, such as web mail, instant messaging, chat, and social networking contacts. Do they follow company policy?