How does
spy
on text messages software work for purely business? A commonplace practice
that is usually allowed in workplaces. Although employers may not monitor their
employees’ activities on their personal devices for obvious ethical reasons,
company-owned computers, laptops, and all other electronic devices that they
provide to employees are fair game.
Usually, an
employer will provide notification to their employees regarding the company’s
policies about electronic monitoring. Even if the company is under no
obligation to do so, it is generally considered as an ethical and decent act
for an employer to inform employees that any activities on company-issued
electronic devices and computers are being (or will be) monitored.
Employee
Monitoring Examples
There are a
variety of methods that are commonly used to monitor employees in the
workplace. These methods typically fall under computer and workstations
monitoring, cell phone monitoring, and monitoring of landline phones.
- Computer and workstations – Monitoring
employee activity on a company computer or workstation is generally expected
and considered as acceptable. After all, the company owns the equipment, pays
for the internet connection, and controls the network. Monitoring methods
usually involve software to observe and record what’s happening on a computer
screen, to keep track of any and all websites an employee visits, and sometimes
to keep track of the time spent away from the computer.
- Cell phone monitoring – If the company
provides cell phones and other mobile devices to employees, it’s generally
accepted that they can monitor your activities on that device. This will
include your activities on messenger apps, personal and company emails, phone
calls, SMS messages, contacts list, social media, websites, and photos/videos.
If the job involves fieldwork, an employer may also install software to monitor
your location.
- Landline phones – It doesn’t
happen all the time, but there are instances where a company will have policies
installed that allow them to monitor any and all phone calls taken and received
on work phones during working hours. This usually happens in workplaces where
call quality is important and is a critical part of their business model, or in
situations where high security is involved.
Employee Privacy and Protection
Of course,
employers cannot just go and monitor their employees as they please without any
restrictions or regulations at all. Even if it happens inside the workplace,
employees still have rights to their privacy, which means employers should
always carefully consider in which situations will it be reasonable and
acceptable for them to establish monitoring practices.
Employees should
understand that there are specific circumstances where they can be protected
against all forms of electronic monitoring.
- It depends on the workplace – In
companies where unionization exists, for example, contracts may have certain
clauses written in that will limit the employer’s right to monitor employees.
Different states in the U.S. will have different laws and regulations regarding
the employee’s right to privacy inside the workplace, and if you’re working in
the public sector, the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution also
provides certain safeguards that fall under “unreasonable search and seizure”.
- Bring your own device – Regarding the
monitoring of cell phones and other mobile devices, employees should assume
that their company’s policies will tend to lean towards protecting its assets
as opposed to being concerned over employee privacy. Some companies do allow
their employees to use their personal devices while at the workplace, but
before doing that, it is highly recommended that all employees should first ask
questions to ensure that they are allowed to do so.
- Social media, messaging, email –
Employers will expectedly have policies that are specifically designed to
protect them against negative content being posted by their employees. However,
some companies do go overboard in their attempts to restrict what their employees
are posting online. To counter that, laws have been enacted that now provide
certain protection for employees, depending on the content and the context
under which the content was posted.
For employees
wanting to know more or perhaps get acquainted with their company’s policies
regarding this issue, a lot of information regarding employee
monitoring and what rights or protection the employees have can typically
be found in documents like employee contracts, employee handbooks, and
materials used during orientation.
Using Software
for Employee Monitoring
There are a
number of software applications currently available that can be legitimately
bought and installed by employers looking to monitor their employees’
electronic activities. These applications can be used for cell phone monitoring
and/or monitoring computer activity as well, depending on the features of the
software.
For example, if
you’re an employer and you need to monitor cell phone activity on
company-issued devices, you would be looking for software that can monitor
activities such as:
- SMS and iMessages – This feature
allows an employer to monitor all text messages (iMessages if it’s an Apple
device), even those that were deleted.
- Social media posts – Allows for
monitoring of posts done on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- Photos and videos – All photos
and videos that are taken and received by the device can be recorded and
viewed.
- Calls taken and received – Phone calls,
both incoming and outgoing, can be logged along with each call’s time, date,
and duration.
- Website browsing – Can provide a
closer look at what employees are doing online and which websites they are
going to.
- Location via GPS – Very helpful
for companies that need updated locations of their field personnel. The GPS
location of the device will be uploaded at regular intervals and viewable via
Google Maps.
If you need cell
phone monitoring for your business, one of the best mobile software available
today is Safeguarde. It is widely considered as the most trusted and most
reliable application for this purpose. However, the company behind Safeguarde
specifically states that its software should only be used for legitimate and
legal purposes by authorized users, and does not encourage nor condone its
installation and usage for any other purpose.
Safeguarde is a very powerful app that can
provide employers with all the features they need to monitor their employees’
cell phone activity. If your business calls for employee monitoring, make sure
you use the best app available.