Should You be Paranoid in the Office?

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Should You be Paranoid in the Office?

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Office life takes on a multitude of variables that we must deal with on a daily basis. For example, there is limited privacy and some of us are concerned that someone is constantly looking over our shoulder, reading our email messages or monitoring our website viewing activity. For most, it probably does not matter, while for others this concern can border on paranoia.

If you are in the latter group, being paranoid around the office may indeed be justified. Chances are, you are being watched all the time. Over 60 percent of mid to large-sized companies monitor Internet usage and almost 50 percent store and review employee email.

Your perceived anonymity is just an illusion. Practice caution, discretion and assume your employer is watching everything you do. No need to get your feathers ruffled. Your company is clearly in the right as you are working for them and using their equipment.

Even a personal email account you access at work can be considered the property of the company while you are in the office. The law, in this case, is usually on the side of the employer.

Businesses have reasons for screening employees' activities. While you should not assume the company is simply voyeuristic and overly interested in your personal life, they have valid grounds for screening employee activities. In addition to safeguarding their intellectual property, they also want to make sure they don't lose productivity to Internet junkies.

You can minimize how far a company can intrude into your personal life by keeping personal business out of the office. Also, ask if your company has an official policy for email and Internet use and/or a document that informs employees about company monitoring.

The best advice is to minimize your personal Internet usage and by all means keep it clean. Refrain from using explicit sexual language. And always think twice before hitting the send button.

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Tags: • advice • productivity • activities • employees • personal • watching • employer • anonymity • paranoia • activity • monitoring • messages • email • privacy • office • intellectual property • personal life • personal email • office life •

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