invasion of privacy at modern workplaces: pros & cons of employee monitoring

@CakeHR

American Management Association (AMA) reports that nearly 80% of all companies utilize some form of employee monitoring

and surveillance at the workplace.

66% monitor internet use

45% log keystrokes

43% track employee emails

INCREASES PRODUCTIVITY

Employees who use company hours as their “personal time” cause great losses to the firm.

In 2009, UPS fitted 200 sensors on delivery trucks that tracked driving speeds, stop times, etc. It allowed them to figure out that drivers were drivers were sneaking breaks, reducing number of deliveries per day.

2013 study of chain restaurants showed that employee monitoring resulted in 22% drop in theft,

and 7% increase in revenue.

Every organization has employees who behave as if rules and policies don't

apply to them.

Employee monitoring allows tracking of common errors, and helps create training programs which address such issues at the start of employment.

Tracking data can be used to identify and reward employees who perform above and beyond the call of duty, thus reinforcing positive aspects of monitoring as

well in employees' collective psyche.

Constant monitoring reinforces the utmost professional behavior among employees when interacting with

customers, as exemplified within the Call Centre industry.

@CakeHR

Your HR. Simplified.

To track the pulse of the HR world, or follow up on latest workplace

trends, visit our blog at

cake.hr/blog

Breeds mentality that numbers (meeting key indicators) are more important than quality work.

Harper's Magazine reports that UPS uses tracked metrics like a “mental whip” to intimidate people into working faster.

Office morale can plummet, and cause employees to perform poorly or leave the company.

“Right at the heart of all this is trust. What sort of message does it send that they need to monitor

[workers'] desktops?” Ken Oehler, Global Engagement Practice Leader of Aon Hewitt, to The Week.

Sales Executive fired from her job after she uninstalled a monitoring app from her company-issued phone, because it continued to track her movements outside work hours as well.

Currently suing Intermex for $500,000 on basis of lost wages and charges of invasion of privacy, wrongful

termination, and unfair business practices.

Studies show greater acceptance if employees are explained the reasons behind monitoring as well as the resultant advantages hoped to be gained from it.

While employees don't need to be told the specific indicators being measured during monitoring, explicitly detailed policies regarding usage of resources being

tracked – email, GPS, cell phone – must be laid down for transparency and ease of compliance.

Protecting the firm from legal vulnerabilities can only be achieved through employees signing consent form allowing tracking of

actions and performance. However, “informed consent” requires that you also educate them on specific markers being monitored.

“Most employees receive policies regarding use of office business tools and privacy issues on the first day of

employment, but too often they don't read them. Employers need to do more than hand over a written policy... They should educate employees on a company's expectations and offer training on an annual basis.” Manny Avramidis, AMA's Senior

Vice President of Global Human Resources.

Read full story here: cake.hr/blog/employee-monitoring-employee-privacy

@CakeHR

Your HR. Simplified.

Check out the one-stop HR

management suite at

cake.hr