Protecting Personal Information Employee Monitoring

Protecting Personal Information

Employee Monitoring

Employee monitoring is a sensitive ethical issue in the workplace that has become exacerbated with the advent of computers and digital technology. Paradoxically, computers have both enabled increased productivity while also allowing for more accessible outlets for distraction. The worker can easily browse websites, engage in social media practices, or play games while at work and as a result, employee monitoring is perhaps more severe than ever before, as workplace supervisors must monitor their employees' progress. This paper discusses central issues associated with employee monitoring, surveying the negative consequences that can result from it while also providing necessary strategies for implementing employee monitoring in a successful manner that does not alienate workers and supervisors.

In the contemporary office workplace environment, it is a challenge to ensure that workers remain focused and on-task. Consequently, companies deploy a number of employee monitoring strategies. Specifically, it is possible for employees to be viewed through surveillance cameras that remain transfixed on the workplace setting; this is a common approach in environments in which there are many workers. A common strategy in offices that utilize computers and digital technology is e-mail scanning, where e-mail messages are filtered through a scanning system that ensures that the content in the messages is germane to the tasks associated with the job. This approach is successful in policing email messaging, although unsuccessful with regard to ensuring that employees remain focused and committed to their responsibilities.

One of the most popular forms of employee monitoring involves using a data monitoring system that ensures that employees do not visit websites that are unrelated to their work-related tasks and responsibilities. The data monitoring system approach has grown in popularity as a result of the proliferation of social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The companies are able to record all of the data that is typed on the computer and chart whether it is related to the work; while this successfully ensures that employees remain committed to their responsibilities while at work, there are concerns that arise as a result. In particular, employees can feel as though they have a lack of privacy and that they are constantly being micro-managed. Studies have shown that workers who are monitored through outlets such as call centres have elevated levels of depression and anxiety (Holman, 2002). As the worker loses their autonomy, it is also common for them to lose a substantial degree of intrinsic motivation.

Another negative consequence of employee monitoring is that workers often lose trust in the organization and feel that the company does not support them. In some cases, there may be an invasion of privacy as the worker's private information becomes visible to data monitoring systems. In order to avoid worker dissatisfaction, it is imperative that companies implement communication strategies that ensure that workers feel supported and do not expose confidential information. When hiring an employee, a company should clearly explain all employee monitoring strategies utilized and justify why they are necessary (Alder, Noel, Ambrose, 2006). Companies should also go to extreme lengths to make their workers feel supported as this will increase employee trust and intrinsic motivation.