More than 75 percent of employers monitor employee internet use, while 67 percent block access to certain websites, the American Management Association found in a survey.

There are several reasons why companies monitor their employees’ email, phone and internet use. Excess time spent on personal projects decreases productivity and customer service quality. Also, employees could leak confidential information that puts the company at risk. As a manager, you should ask yourself, “Is this monitoring legal?”

Here’s the deal: According to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), you are authorized to monitor information that passes over company property like servers, networks and phone lines as long as it pertains to business use. To ensure that your monitoring practices are legal, follow these steps:

1. Notify Employees. Be transparent about monitoring. You can circulate a memo or email, include it in handbooks or put a sticker on employee computers. Some 80 percent of employers already do this, the AMA found. If you haven’t notified your employees, do so immediately.
2. Provide Documentation. Post the ECPA rules so employees know you’re following them. Find the policy at cpsr.org/issues/privacy/ecpa86 and look for new bills at http://thomas.loc.gov.

Filed under: Management Minute