Is snooping allowed?

londonman81

Is it OK for my manager to get a co-worker to regularly check over my shoulder at my screen and report back to the manager via internal messenger service?

KiKi

Legally? Yes.

marybelle01

londonman81 wrote: »

Is it OK for my manager to get a co-worker to regularly check over my shoulder at my screen and report back to the manager via internal messenger service?

If you aren't doing anything you shouldn't be doing, there'll be nothing to see and nothing to report.

londonman81

marybelle01 wrote: »

If you aren't doing anything you shouldn't be doing, there'll be nothing to see and nothing to report.

I am simply doing my job, but my manager seems to want to know at every moment in time what it is I'm doing - I feel like I'm being spied on for no reason, and is highly counterproductive.

ILW

What is the problrm, why is it counterproductive?

londonman81

ILW wrote: »

What is the problrm, why is it counterproductive?

Because when you know you are being spied on, you feel under pressure and, quite honestly, picked on.

sniggings

send him a letter with your concerns, tell him how you feel and ask if all staff are being watch this way and if not why you and what do you need to do to be treated the same as the rest, saying you feel under pressure that a co -worker is doing this and that if he feels you need that much supervision then would it be possible for someone over you to do it rather than a co-work.

Sounds he has it in for you, so you either need to start defending yourself by having proof you were trying to be reasonable with his requests but it will also be proof that he may be bullying you, which would be useful if it came to some sort of case.

Or maybe get out of there before it gets worse.

coshboy

I'd feel very uncomfortable if my boss asked me to do that.

princessdon

Do you have 1:1's or IPR's etc

If so then raise this as an issue if it makes you uncomfortable.

GazNicki

I am assuming that the PC you are using is provided by the company, as is the software, internet connection, email address and all manner of other things associated with the PC?

The fact that someone is making it blatent is the problem really, as normally the usage of the PCs would be monitored remotely anyway. All activities are usually routed through a server which keeps a log of everything that goes through the server and which PC did it.

I would ask the co-worker what he is doing and why. If he states he has been asked to do it, then speak to the manager.

Ask for a copy of any Policy or Procedure related to the use of the computer and ensure that you are not breaching any of them. Also ask the manager if there is anything you have done to cause this kind of treatment, and ask what can be done to resolve the issue. Also state that you are unhappy that someone who is equal to you being requested to spy on you.

Should you feel the treatment you are recieving is different to the rest, consult HR and ask if they can also intervene as this may be case for discrimination.

But in essence, if you are doing nothing wrong, there is nothing to worry about.

marybelle01

Before you go running off making any complaints, what evidence of this do you have? If it's "snooping" - which employers are allowed to do anyway - then it isn't very successful snooping since you know about it. How do you know what the instant messages say and to whom they are addressed? Have you been snooping too? Seriously, have you consdiered how paranoid this sounds? If you can't prove it you are going to sound like a total nutter!