itoring are simply amazing, some say simply horrifying. Software programs such as Disk Tracey, Spector, Little Brother, Internet WatchDog, Net Snitch, Win Guardian and Investigator 2.0 are all designed for monitoring employees' work habits, good and bad. Internet WatchDog and Net Snitch watch and record every single move that one makes on an office computer.Spector takes periodic snapshots of an individual's computer screen periodically, in intervals dictated by management. System administrators replay the photo sequence and identify every application loaded, every e-mail sent and every website visited. The application that provides the most "spying" capabilities is the Investigator 2.0, which enables an employer to monitor every keystroke made by an employee. "In the U.S. 40 Xerox employees lost their jobs last year after a snooping program called Web sense, currently used by some 4,900 companies worldwide-detected their office surfingactivities" (Sautter p. 26). These programs are rapidly developing and the more the Internet plays a key figure in the lives of many employees, the more the need for managers to use them. It seems that the majority of managers that make up the present workforce feel that the use of these devices is advantageous for them, and in some instances, the employees themselves. Recent trends and polls tend to show support towards that notion. The bottom line is the fact that this equipment can assist managers and can produce a better working environment. One of the many ways that monitoring can assist organizations is that it simply identifies those who are actively engaged in such practices as sexual harassment and illegal Internet activity, i.e. pornography and gambling. Sexual harassment has become a major issue for managers today and by monitoring e-mails and computer activity, they can more effectively identify those who are offenders. "In 1995 Chevron Corp. paid $2.2 million to four female employees who ass...
