Canadian Workers to Employers: It’s OK to Watch Us Online

Spying on Employees, Eh? What have Canadian workers been doing on the job? According to a new poll, it appears many have been frittering time by browsing the Internet and writing personal e-mail. Nearly 3,500 Canadian workers responded in an online poll by Monster Canada that inquired whether employers ought to be permitted to monitor workers’ Internet and e-mail use as a way of boosting productivity. Nearly six in 10 Canadians say employers indeed should have the freedom to check what their workers are doing online. Nearly 30 percent said people spend an “excessive amount of time” surfing the Web, conducting online chats or answering non-work-related e-mail. On the opposite side of the fence were about 14 percent of participants, who condemn employee monitoring as an invasion of privacy.