Employee Monitoring

When George Orwell wrote about a giant screen in each person's home that could monitor their every movement and activity, he equated Big Brother with the government. Increasingly, however, it is not the government but rather our employers that are spying on individuals, and they are doing it often with the employees' permission and knowledge. This research considers employee monitoring, particularly electronic monitoring, and its ramifications in the workplace.

One of the key reasons given for monitoring employees electronically is to improve employee productivity (Rice 83). Employers who use this rationale argue that electronic monitoring is merely the next step from monitoring employees' at their desks visually (determining whether they are reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles, or otherwise engaging in behaviors which are not productive). In addition, by monitoring keystrokes on a personal computer or workstation, companies are able to spot training issues and can provide assistance to employees in order to help them improve the ways in which they perform their tasks (Rice 83).

When companies seek to justify employee monitoring, they sometimes cite the fact that by monitoring employees, they can determine whether assets are being allocated appropriately. One of the primary areas of concern is that software is being used effectively, but also that software is used by the right people within the organization.

Related Essays

Electronic Employee Monitoring This research considers electronic employee monitoring in the workplace and the moral/ethical problems such monitoring raises. There .... (1485 6 )

Internet Privacy in the Workplace .... This research considers electronic employee monitoring in the workplace and the moral/ethical problems such monitoring raises. There .... (1540 6 )

Electronic Ethics .... Reasons Against Employee Monitoring When George Orwell wrote about a giant screen in each person's home that could monitor their every movement and activity .... (2685 11 )

Whistle Blowing .... the company actively encourages employees to report their observations and their concerns 2. Currently there are very few laws regulating employee monitoring. .... (3824 15 )

Examples of Whistle Blowing .... the company actively encourages employees to report their observations and their concerns 2. Currently there are very few laws regulating employee monitoring. .... (3825 15 )

e the job. The greater argument against employee monitoring is that it can have a deleterious effect on employee morale. This is particularly true since most employees consider that their performance should be the overriding standard against which they are judged, and if they write personal e-mail or make personal phone calls, but they still get their job done (or stay late on those occasions when they have spent time on personal business), the personal business they conduct on so-called company time should simply be a non-issue. These employees (and their advocates) suggest that employers are better off seeking to monitor performance rather than keystrokes, and results rather than phone calls (Ramsey 4). Types of Monitoring There are various types of electronic monitoring which can be used at a company. Increasingly common is the use of computerbased monitoring in the workplace. The most comprehensive of this type of monitoring tracks each and every keystroke and mouse click that a user inputs from their personal computer or workstation. When Owens & Minor, a distribution company, implemented a keystroke monitoring system from Keylime Software, it opted to use a keystroke monitoring system which permits it to review how

Category: Business - E