The vice president for human resources at Climpson Industries sent the following recommendation to the company’s president.” In an effort to improve our employees’ productivity, we should implement electronic monitoring of employees’ Internet use from their workstations. Employees who use the Internet inappropriately from their workstations need to be identified and punished if we are to reduce the number of work hours spent on personal or recreational activities, such as shopping or playing games. Installing software on company computers to detect employees’ Internet use is the best way to prevent employees from wasting time on the job. It will foster a better work ethic at Climpson and improve our overall profits.”

The vice president for human resources at Climpson Industries sent the following recommendation to the company’s president.

“In an effort to improve our employees’ productivity, we should implement electronic monitoring of employees’ Internet use from their workstations. Employees who use the Internet inappropriately from their workstations need to be identified and punished if we are to reduce the number of work hours spent on personal or recreational activities, such as shopping or playing games. Installing software on company computers to detect employees’ Internet use is the best way to prevent employees from wasting time on the job. It will foster a better work ethic at Climpson and improve our overall profits.”

Write a response in which you discuss what specific evidence is needed to evaluate the argument and explain how the evidence would weaken or strengthen the argument.

Even if the company were to monitor all Internet usage, it would be difficult to catch employees engaged in personal activities during working hours. Employees would most likely be reluctant to admit such activities, and even if they were caught, they could not be expected to be forced to work extra hours to make up for their lost time.

Climpson employs over 400 workers, so the number of offenders is small. However, even if the number were small, the company would still be unable to achieve its goals. Employees spend much of their time on work-related tasks. A half-hour Internet session is nothing compared to the amount of time spent in meetings, reviewing projects, and attending training sessions. Even if the company were to identify a few employees who spend a large chunk of their workdays on the Internet, it is likely that the employees would deny any guilt, claiming that they were engaged in personal activities, not work-related ones. Even if the company were to install a monitoring program, it would still be unable to determine which employees were doing things for personal reasons, and which were doing work-related activities. Employees would either lie about their activities or attempt to hide them. A general policy forcing all employees to rack up extra hours is undesirable. If the company were to install software that identifies specific offenders, it could then upgrade or terminate those employees, but that would be a costly and ineffective solution.

A company’s most valuable resource is its workforce. Productivity depends on the skills, enthusiasm, and motivation of the employees. It is extremely important that employees be able to spend at least some of their working hours doing personal activities. Employees who spend most of their time at work are tired and stressed, and they become less effective in their jobs and are more likely to have health problems. They become less willing to contribute to the company’s long-term success. The productivity of Climpson Industries would be greatly increased if the company allowed employees to spend a small portion of their working hours online for personal purposes.