Durée : 3 heures Coefficient : 2

ELECTRONIC SURVEILLANCE IN THE WORKPLACE

1          For millions of office workers, sending and receiving e-mails has become a part of everyday life,

            like making phone calls or opening their post. Over the past decade, it has become a ubiquitous

            business tool, but, inevitably, like the phone, workers don't only use email for business purposes.

            Employers are worried, not least because improper use of their e-mail system can expose them to

5              legal action. It is not uncommon now for companies to be sued over racist or sexist emails sent by

            members of staff. Concerns like that, along with the innate curiosity that all employers have about

            what their employees are doing on company time, have led to e-mail monitoring becoming common

            practice.

            Computer software makes it childishly simple for employers to monitor what their employees are

10            getting up to. Most organisations search emails for thousands of key-words in order to check

            whether they are business-related or indeed legal.

            Precise monitoring systems typically show that 60% of corporate email use is not related to

            business at all with 8% containing potentially illegal or pornographic material.

            The law says that employers can intercept e-mails but they must be able to show it is in the

15               company's interests.

            Some employers like Glasgow City Council have simply banned personal use of not only e-mail but

            phones, the Internet and mobiles as well. Council staff resent this. "I've got child-care commitments

            and I would like to be able to think if my child was ill, that I could use the phone during my

            working hours", complains Lillian. Roger adds, "It does give a veil of suspicion that staff are not

20            doing their work. I think it's a bit heavy-handed. They should trust their employees."

            Despite all that, John Brown of Glasgow City Council remains convinced that a blanket ban on

            personal use is the best way to go.

            "The equipment of the City Council is not for checking up on holiday destinations or checking

            someone's social calendar. If someone's chatting for twenty minutes about arranging some social

25            event or some football team, that is taking time away from their duties. The Council provides

            computer facilities in libraries and with flexi-hour arrangements for many of our employees, they

            have plenty of opportunities. But in work time, these facilities are for the business of the Council

            and that is what this policy is spelling out quite clearly."

            Whatever the complaints of British employees, monitoring in the UK is pretty tame compared with

30               standard practices in the US.

            American businesses regularly supervise their employees' movements by use of a chip in their

            identification badges. 78% of companies monitor them by their computer use and they can keep

            tabs on their eating habits. When you purchase food in the cafeteria, the computer will register the

            items that you bought and if it is too high in cholesterol, you'll get a call from a company doctor,

35            because in the US, medical care is provided by private employers.

            Hidden cameras are ubiquitous and there are rumours of hidden microphones by water coolers to

            check up on gossip. There is no obligation to inform employees that this is going on although there

            are certain areas that are forbidden, such as washrooms.

            The few workers who protest about this electronic snooping tend to be middle managers and they

40               invariably lose their court cases.

BBC 4 , August 27, 2002

TRAVAIL A FAIRE

1 COMPREHENSION (8 points)

Redigez en français un compte-rendu du document (170 mots +/-10% ). Indiquez le nombre de mots utilisés.

2 TRADUIRE en français le premier paragraphe, depuis « For millions of ... » jusqu'à « ...for business purposes ». (4 points)

3 LETTRE COMMERCIALE (8 points)

 Rédigez un courrier en anglais que vous signerez au nom de Ben Simpson.

 Vous êtes Ben Simpson, assistant de direction de M John Brown, directeur general de l'entreprise Still and Co, 40 Southclark Street, Winchester WN3 6DC. Il vient de décider de partir en long week‑end a New York avec sa femme. Il vous a chargé de réserver rapidement à l'agence de voyage Cook, 23 High Street, Winchester WN3 14DC, deux billets d'avion aller et retour en vol régulier et un logement en hôtel 4 étoiles .

Départ le vendredi 11 juin vers 18h après le travail. Retour le 14 juin au soir, donc départ de NY le 14 juin, le plus tôt possible le matin.

Chambre pour deux, hôtel le plus proche possible du Metropolitan Opera, 3 nuits : vendredi, samedi et dimanche. lls préfèrent un hôtel avec piscine, bain bouillonnant et centre de remise en forme. Chambre avec vue sur Central Park si disponible, salle de bain, air conditionné, connexion au réseau Internet et TV satellite. Petit déjeuner inclus mais dîner seulement le soir de l'arrivée.

Si possible faire réserver 2 places à 1'Opéra pour Carmen le samedi .

Demander ces renseignements par retour de courrier avec horaires et prix afin de pouvoir effectuer des réservations fermes au plus tôt.

Formules de politesse et présentation d'usage.