Do I Have to Tell Employees I’m Monitoring Them?

When you’re monitoring employees for productivity via surveillance software, there are several legal aspects to consider. One of these is whether or not employees need to be told that their computer activity is being watched. So, do you have to tell employees that you’re monitoring them?

Some states do have laws requiring an employer to tell employees if surveillance software is being used. Other states leave this up to the discretion of employers. However, employers are advised to err on the side of honesty in light of possible legal ramifications for failing to do so.

Keep reading to learn how the law applies in this case, what you should do to keep yourself safe, and how to inform employees of surveillance software.

Am I Required to Inform Workers About Surveillance Software?

Whether or not you are legally required to inform employees about surveillance software depends upon the state. Connecticut, Delaware, and New York all have laws in the books requiring employers to inform employees about such software. Other states leave this up to the employer’s better judgment.

However, many states have right to privacy laws. These could impact your ability to legally surveil workers on their work computers if such laws were directed at the surveillance in question.

For example, let’s say you’re secretly using Wolfeye Remote Screen to monitor what your workers do on their in-office computers. You terminate an employee for Using X / Twitter on the job, but he then turns around and seeks to sue you for violating his assumed right to privacy. Who’s correct? Depending on how a judge and jury interpret the situation, either of you could wind up guilty or innocent.

Generally speaking, The Electronic Communications Privacy Act allows employers to monitor what employees say, do, and type for legitimate business reasons. However, the types of digital communications available have changed greatly since the mid-80s, when the law was first enacted.

If you don’t let employees know they’re being watched, letting them go for inappropriate use of their work computer can be difficult. For example, an employee may not be aware he is being watched and may use a work computer to view NSFW content.

If he is fired for this, he may object to his termination because the material he viewed relayed something previously unknown about his private life or sexual orientation. He may further argue that you as an employer had no right to use that secretly recorded information against him and sue for discrimination. So what’s the safest choice here?

What Should An Employer Do?

The safest route for any employer is honesty about surveillance software. Laws regarding data privacy are bound to change in coming years, and the smartest thing for you to do is assume the worker’s right to know. 

What’s the best way to do this? Let your workers know about the surveillance software on day one. When hired, be sure to explain to your new employee that surveillance software is used on work computers. Let the worker know what kind of data the software can see, and inform them that all internet activity is visible to the corporation, even if browsing in incognito mode.

It may be helpful to have something in writing that an employee can sign acknowledging their understanding of the surveillance and their consent thereto. You may wish to hire a lawyer to help you draft a clear and air-tight document. Signage in the workplace may also be helpful. The clearer it is to workers, the safer you’ll be.

Make sure that all workplace computer use policies are written, expressed, and available to workers. If your employee is written up for checking Instagram at work when no one told her this was against policy, that’s unfair to her. Be fair, be transparent, and you’ll be in the clear.

So what can Wolfeye Remote Screen see, and how is this relevant to you?

What Can Wolfeye Remote Screen See?

If you do choose to use Wolfeye surveillance software, what kind of information can you see? Whatever is happening on a worker’s screen is visible to you. This software runs quietly in the background and allows you to access employee screens and browsing history in real-time.

Unauthorized logins are also recorded, improving your business’ security and safeguarding your data from in-person breaches. Know who is logging on and when, and correct security issues as they happen. When combined with cameras and microphones, your perspective on employee behavior is truly 360. 

The information captured by Wolfeye is available to you on a terminal within the office or from your smartphone. This is true even if employees use incognito mode, use a VPN, or use a security-focused browser. Stay informed even when out of the office with useful Android apps.

If your employee is at a Zoom meeting but is browsing news articles or social media on another window, you can see this. Essentially, Wolfeye is just like peering over their shoulder to observe current activity. This data can be saved, accessed later, or screenshot for future use.

This software is incredibly useful for monitoring employee productivity and helping workers stay on task. But the software is much more effective if workers know they’re being watched. Be sure to give your workers adequate breaks during the day to reduce the likelihood of tired or bored employees being distracted by browsing.

Final Thoughts

Telling employees that you’re using monitoring software at work is wise and ethical. While select states have laws prohibiting computer surveillance by an employer, others have somewhat open-ended data privacy laws that could be used against such software.

The safest route is to let employees know at hiring that this software is in use, and what the software can see. Be sure to make workplace computer policies clear, so that employees know what is expected of them from day one.

Wolfeye Remote Screen is a fantastic software option for employers who choose this route. It allows 24/7 views of what a worker does on their work computer and runs quietly in the background. Get in touch with us today, if Wolfeye sounds like the perfect solution for you!

Sources

Articles.

How To Choose Employee Monitoring Software When you want to check in on employees, you need to choose software that …
Can My Employer See My Incognito Mode History? When you’re at work, it can be tempting to browse the web …
5 Ways To Track Employees As an employer, you want to make sure that you are getting the most productivity …
Do I Have to Tell Employees I’m Monitoring Them? When you’re monitoring employees for productivity via surveillance software, there are …
How To Track Employee Productivity Tracking employee productivity is important for every employer. This can help you assess how your …
How to Monitor Access to Your Computer Do you have a nagging feeling that someone might be accessing your computer …
How To Tell Who Logged Into a Computer Remotely In recent years, how people work has changed dramatically, and perhaps …
How to Easily Monitor Computer Activity Monitoring computer activity within your company or home is a smart choice for those …
Can Employers Monitor a Home Network? Are you wondering if your employer can monitor your home network? You may think …
Can My Employer Read My Email After I Quit? Are you an employee who wants to quit their job, and …
Does Monitoring Software Slow Computer Performance? When using a PC there are several things that can cause it to run …
5 Things That Monitoring Software Will Track Despite thorough vetting and meticulous screening before hiring, employees can lose their focus …
How to Digitally Track Employee Attendance With all the technology today, digitally tracking your employees‘ attendance has become even easier …
Does Employee Monitoring Increase Productivity? If your company requires a productivity boost, you may have heard of employee monitoring as …
8 Ways to Detect Employee Monitoring Software Did you install employee monitoring software on your worker’s computers and are wondering …
How to Monitor When Employees Take Breaks Are you an employer and want to find the best way to monitor …
How To Track What Employees Are Working On Working remotely has become more the trend in the workforce. But many …
How to Monitor Employee Computers Without Them Knowing Are you an employer looking for a way to monitor your employees …
How to Monitor Individual and Team Performances Are you an employer of a company and want to know the best …
How to Measure Remote Worker Productivity Are you an employer who has remote workers, and you want to know if …
How to See What Someone is Doing on Their Laptop Whether you’re a teacher, employer, manager, or parent, there may …
How to Use Screen Monitoring Software (Complete Guide) Are you an employer looking into using screen monitoring software, and you …
How to View Employee’s Team Messages Are you an employer focused on viewing your employee’s team messages? Checking your team’s …
Is Employee Monitoring Ethical or Not? With the recent influx of work-from-home careers, there has been more and more talk …
Why It’s Important to Monitor Employees After Training When a company hires new employees, they have to undergo training. But …
The Best Screen Monitoring Software for Businesses Monitoring your worker’s screen time and workflows is essential to managing a large …
What Can Your Employer See While On Your Home Wifi? You work from home so you want to know if …
This is How Employee Monitoring Affects Employees As the world changes and technology advances, keep up with the times to …
Is Employee Monitoring Software Dangerous? Monitoring employees is a common practice for employers that want to ensure the safety of …
10 Things Employers Can Track on a Laptop Technology has revolutionized how we do business. Your employees can work faster …
Should You Purchase Employee Monitoring Software? Employee monitoring software, like Wolfeye, has increased in popularity due to the rise in …
Why Do Companies Monitor Employees‘ Emails? Are you an employer who feels your personnel are slacking off on the job? …
7 Reasons For Monitoring Employees Employee monitoring has become more common since the coronavirus pandemic when everyone worked from home …
How to Find Out if Your Employee is Working Elsewhere There are many reasons why an employer might want to …
Can Employers Monitor Teams Calls? When you work for a company, you will have concerns about the privacy of your …
How To Know if Your Employees Work for Someone Else The rise of remote work brought several advantages to companies …
How To Know If Your Remote Employees Are Really Working You can track remote workers and their activities during work …
How To Monitor Employees Working From Home Monitoring employees who work from home is a great way to achieve quality …
How To Monitor Your Students Computer Screens Focus is a huge challenge for students attending online classes. They have access …
How To See What Your Child Downloads On Their Computer In this age of easy access to technology and easy …
WOLFEYE REMOTE SCREEN Software to Remotely Monitor your Employees‘ Computer Screen. Tutorial Free download* $97 (12-month license for 1 PC)** …
WOLFEYE REMOTE SCREEN Monitor everything that happens on the PC. Tutorial Free download* $97 (12 month license for 1 PC)** …