Legal Question in Employment Law in District of Columbia
internet usage
my employer requires staff to use personal credit cards to fund company work. they are now taking ''snap shots'' of our internet usage. When asked if they were reviewing our bank statements/credit card statements (while we review them online) they said they were with in their rights to do so since the computer we use it company property. is this an ethical way for an employer to act? do we have a foot to stand on when requesting they not review the content of these web pages?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: internet usage
This is a dubious arrangement to begin with; company work should not be financed by the personal credit cards of employees but rather by credit card(s) which have been issued to the company to be used for the business purposes of that company.
Re: internet usage
I agree with Mr. Hendrickson about the questionable arrangement. Additionally, more and more employers are monitoring internet usage. It doesn't take advanced technology to pull all sites and activities from a hard drive or shared system.
The simple answer I give to people who are concerned about this is don't visit sites or pull up information you don't want your employer to see. Wait until you get home to write personal e-mails and check your bank and credit card statements.