workplace surveillance

The phrase – employee monitoring is enough for most people to immediately picture a scene from the book 1984. A totalitarian, big brother government watches and controls a helpless workforce, which has every aspect of its life monitored and dictated.

With workplace (and even societal) surveillance a commonplace reality, some might wonder are we on the brink of finally achieving Orwell’s dystopian future? While things aren’t nearly that bad just yet, the general direction of where things are headed does seem eerily similar to it.

Employee Monitoring is Here to Stay

Many companies use powerful technologies to oversee how their employees are spending their time. Everything from what they are typing into emails, to how they move about can now be logged into a central database and analyzed. There are plenty of tools that can help them do just that…

  • Computer monitoring software allows employers to see what is on an employee’s screens, know what and how fast they are typing and track their web-browsing habits.
  • Email monitoring software can see what contents are being typed, send out alerts, block out certain words and automatically create copies of sent mail.
  • ID badges can track employee movement through a company’s premises.
  • Almost every company today has CCTV cameras in their office premise.
  • Employee GPS tracking solutions can track a person’s movements almost anywhere.

A study by AMA found that 80% of 1,627 major corporations covered monitor an employee’s actions on email, phone or the internet. This is a massive increase from 35% in 1997. Typically, the larger the firm, the greater the chances it will indulge in some form of monitoring. Understandably, it was the financial sector that ranked first on the list with 92.1% of the participants saying theirs oversaw employee actions.

Why Employee Monitoring is Actually a Good Thing

The argument (rightly) given is that if an employer has purchased a certain portion of their employee’s time, it has every right to see how it is being spent. Not to mention, all organizations are constantly looking for better ways to do what they do. To optimize workflows, more data is needed.

Consequently, a powerful system of “organizational diagnostics” is required to tell them what’s going on and what problems exist. In other words, there is no getting around the fact that employee monitoring methods will only get more advanced and granular from hereon.

Unfortunately, such measures are required. As much as people hate being snooped, no one can deny that being productive at work is a real challenge. Consider the following…

  • Internet misuse at work costs businesses $178 billion annually in lost productivity.
  • Not surprisingly, cell-phones are the biggest culprits as far as distractions go.
  • 64% employees admitted to using the internet for personal interest during working hours.
  • 25% of corporate internet traffic is unrelated to work.
  • 37% employees say they constantly surf the web while at work.
  • Nearly 70% of employees in the Asia Pacific region are reportedly unhappy at work.

All these (and many more) numbers point to the fact that employee monitoring at work is indeed essential. Unlike machines, humans are prone to temptation and come with their own failings that need oversight.

Companies operating in highly regulated industries like health and finance hold very sensitive customer data that needs to be handled delicately. Considering that 58% of industrial espionage is done by present or ex-employees, it becomes clear why having a robust oversight is essential in today’s hyper-competitive environment.

But When Does it Become a Problem?

While there are plenty of sound reasons to monitor employees, there are those that simply defy logic. For instance, this company fired an employee who deleted a GPS app that tracked her 24/7. Brainwave sensors are now being used in some Chinese state and private companies to monitor an employee’s emotional health.

The problem with workplace surveillance isn’t the oversight in itself, rather the lack of clarity regarding where does the company’s rights end. The perpetual question that someone might be watching me is enough to stress employees to the point where they may become unproductive.

Companies that overdo surveillance also reduce humans to mere numbers and not individuals which in turn affects their attitude on how they deal with them. Forcing all your employees to adopt a certain work routine because your number crunching says so can quickly become a morale killer.

To make matters worse, the laws of many countries are still playing catch-up with all the technological advancements. Consequently, many countries either do not have legislations particular to employee oversight or are ambiguous on the matter. For example, in Singapore employers can read an employee’s emails if they were accessed on a work computer.

It Can be Made to Work

If one was to take a closer look at the statistics, it becomes clear that the real problem isn’t bad habits or unfaithfulness per se, rather it’s lack of engagement at work. Employees who are bored or distracted from their job will try and escape from it any chance they get.

Companies have been dealing with this issue using a carrot and stick policy where surveillance tools are used to find out which needs to be used where. This is at best a stop-gap solution. A better way out will be to find ways to increase an employee’s stake in the task at hand, thereby giving them a bigger incentive to try harder.

For example, surveillance tools are already telling employers when an employee is most productive. They can use the information to create routines that are more suited to their habits. If multiple people are working on a similar project, then rewards can be given to those who finish their task first, thereby gamifying productivity.

Finally, certain monitoring best practices can be followed to make sure your employees feel at ease…

  • Consider using an employee monitoring consent form that details what data your company can collect.
  • Gradually roll out a solution and test how your employees react to it. Use their feedback to implement a new system.
  • Don’t use data from tracking tools alone to arrive at a decision. Indicators are best used as leads to be investigated, not be-all verdicts.