Firms monitoring workers' use of electronic systems.

More than three in four U.S. businesses track their employees' Web site connections and two in three use software to prevent access to certain sites, according to the latest poll of electronic surveillance policies and practices by the American Management Association.

The percentage

of employers taking these steps reflects not only how many businesses are concerned about inappropriate computer use in the workplace, but also how far they'll go to prevent it. The monitoring of computer use takes various forms: One in three employers track content, keystrokes, and time spent at the keyboard, while 50 percent store and review workers' computer files and 55 percent retain and review e-mails.

For the most part, the surveillance is not being conducted surreptitiously Fully 80 percent of employers that monitor use of electronic systems inform their employees they are tracking content, key strokes, and time spent at the computer, while slightly more (82 percent) let their workers know they are storing and reviewing computer files. Even higher percentages of employers alert employees they are monitoring email messages (86 percent) and tracking their Web usage (89 percent).

Employees who violate company policies governing computer use can be subject to harsh penalties. The AMA survey found that one in four employers have fired workers for violating computer policies, while 6 percent have terminated workers for improper use of office telephones.

More information about the survey is available at www.amanet.org.