With businesses losing billions to computer crime and employees wasting considerable time on their computers looking at sports updates, the latest fashion trends, and even less appropriate websites, businesses are cracking down by monitoring their employees. The efforts are to ultimately reduce scams, identify theft, computer crimes, fraud, sexual abuse, piracy, and threats. As a result, many businesses have resorted to online monitoring of their workplace computers.

In this context, we look at how human resources (HR) professionals see three aspects of online monitoring. First, how do they view the discipline managers provideemployees based on what they see about them on the Internet? Second, how do HR managers view employee handbook online monitoring policies? Should employees be permitted to freely use their computers, have certain constraints, or have all private use banned?