Is Big Brother watching? Maybe.(electronic employee surveillance)

Next time you call an old college friend from work, you better ask yourself whether your boss cares about that time you and your friend double-dated during finals week. It's quite possible that your conversation is being monitored.

In fact, nearly two thirds of companies surveyed by AMA engage in one or more surveillance practices. What's more, nearly a quarter of the companies that monitor their employees don't tell their employees.

Isn't this illegal? Don't workers have a right to privacy? In general, no. The only state in the U.S. that has any laws on the books protecting employee privacy is Connecticut. Anywhere else, it's the company's call. As Eric Rolfe Greenberg, AMA's director of management studies, notes, "Many employers believe that what's done on company time and on the company premises is the company's business." And although surveillance is often targeted at specific job categories, he adds, "any employee at any time may be under watch."

Among the findings:

* 10.4 percent of respondents tape phone conversations (0.7 percent tape all employees; 9.7 percent tape selected job categories).

* 5.2 percent tape and review employee voice mail (2.5 percent tape all employees; 2.8 percent selected job categories).

* 13.7 percent store and review computer files (7.4 percent all employees; 6.3 percent selected categories).