WorkAuditor Monitor employee computer activities, improve employee productivity and protect company confidential data.
Employee Monitoring Notice: Template and What to Include
A monitoring notice is the document you hand to employees before the agent is installed. It is not a legal instrument and it does not need to be long — but it has to match what the software actually records, or it is worse than no notice at all.
What the notice must contain
- Who is monitored. Which machines, groups or sites. Say whether personal devices are excluded.
- What is recorded. Name the categories in the software's own words: screenshots, applications, websites, file operations, removable storage, printing, clipboard, attendance.
- What is not recorded. Equally important. If keystrokes are counted rather than captured, say so.
- When. Working hours, or between attendance check-in and check-out.
- Who can see it. HR, IT, line management — and on what basis.
- How long it is kept. A number, in months.
- Where to ask questions. A named person or mailbox, not "management".
Template you can adapt
Notice of electronic monitoring
[Company] provides computers, accounts and network access for business purposes. To protect company data, verify working time and investigate suspected misconduct, the Company monitors the use of company computers.
What is recorded: periodic screenshots of the screen; the applications and websites used; file operations including copying and deletion; use of USB and other removable storage; print jobs; clipboard activity; and attendance check-in and check-out, which records the computer, the network and IP address, and optionally a webcam photo.
What is not recorded: the content of personal messages and the text of keystrokes. Keystroke logging, where enabled, records counts rather than characters.
When monitoring applies: during working hours, or between attendance check-in and check-out, according to your schedule.
Who can access records: HR, IT and line management on a need-to-know basis. Access is logged.
Retention: records are kept for [12] months and then deleted, unless preserved for an investigation.
Questions: [name], [email].
This notice forms part of the Company's Acceptable Use Policy. Please sign and return the acknowledgment below.
I have read and understood this notice.
Name: ______ Signature: ______ Date: ______
Three mistakes to avoid
- Promising less than the software does. If the notice says "activity logs" but the agent takes screenshots, the notice is misleading. Read the feature list, then write.
- Announcing the software and the notice on the same day. Publish the notice first, let people read it, install second.
- No retention period. "As long as necessary" invites the question of who decides. Use a number.
Do you need one at all?
In most US states, employers may monitor company equipment, but several states require notice, and a written notice is what makes records usable in a dispute. Connecticut and Delaware require notice; California and New York have broader privacy protections. This page is not legal advice — read the notice requirements guide and, for a specific state, ask counsel.
Common questions about the notice
Do I have to tell employees they are being monitored?
In most US states, yes - notice or consent is expected for electronic monitoring, and a few states require it in writing. The notice should come before monitoring starts; a notice issued afterwards does not fix the earlier period.
Does the notice have to be signed?
Not in every state, but a signed acknowledgement is the cheapest evidence you will ever have. Keep it in the employee file alongside the policy version they received.
Can the notice live in the employee handbook instead of a separate document?
It can, provided it is specific about what is monitored and the employee acknowledges it. A generic "the company may monitor systems" line is weak evidence and often fails the specificity test.
What has to be in the notice?
What is monitored (screenshots, applications, websites, email, files, USB, location if applicable), why, on which devices, who can see the data, and how long it is kept. Name the systems rather than describing them in the abstract.