| A vast majority of employees have access to various types of technology at work to help complete their tasks in a more productive manner. These new types of technology---Internet, electronic mail (email), instant messaging (IM), etc.---keep employees in touch with one another and allow for an array of knowledge at a click of a mouse. Along with the many benefits of these newly available technologies come potential problems of misuse, which could lead to losses in productivity as well as the exposure of company secrets. For this reason, organizations are turning to Electronic Employee Monitoring (EEM) as a way to protect company property, both physical and intellectual.;This study represents the first empirical study to test the relationships between EEM and various factors that are important to organizations (e.g., awareness and understanding of EEM, electronic misbehavior, acceptance of EEM, workplace privacy, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment). An online questionnaire, which was created from well established scales and newly developed items, was completed anonymously by 233 individuals who utilize a computer while at work and have some knowledge that their organization conducts EEM.;The results of the study revealed that the more awareness and understanding employees have about EEM in their workplace, the more accepting they are of EEM. Additionally, the research found that employees' beliefs about workplace privacy moderated this relationship. The study also found a significant and positive relationship between employees' level of acceptance of EEM and their general job satisfaction and affective commitment. Furthermore, the study showed some significant relationships between employees' awareness and understanding of EEM and their level of electronic misbehavior at the item level, however, the relationship was not found to be significant at the scale level. Overall, the results of this initial study provide a promising foundation for future research around the impact of EEM on employees. |
