Monitoring employees has become a controversial topic in today’s society, as people are unsure about the ethical and legal implications of it. Whereas in many other areas people are well aware of potential surveillance, such as when using an ATM at a bank or when walking around in a mall with many retail stores watching for shoplifters, people do not expect employee video surveillance at their place of work.
But there are many reasons for employers to monitor their employees. In a case with high value merchandise or materials, an employer may want to guard against theft. In other cases, unsupervised employees may slack off and waste time. And in other cases employees may misuse expensive or delicate equipment or machinery. All of these are valid reasons that employee video surveillance has been continuing to grow, especially as video and monitoring equipment becomes cheaper and more readily available.
There are many ways that an employee can be watched over at his place of work. Many companies monitor employees internet usage and activity. They can see if they visit any illicit or inappropriate websites, are wasting time chatting to friends on social networking sites or anything else. Emails can be tracked as well, to see if there is any inappropriate communication, or even worse, company secrets being revealed or general badmouthing taking place.
Monitoring employees using employee video surveillance can be a high risk, high reward situation for an employer. That’s because while it is an effective and affordable way of keeping your employees in check, it can also erode moral. Nobody wants to feel as if they aren’t being trusted by their own company, and that their every move all day is being watched over and analyzed.
Additionally, the thought of being captured on film can create distrust of management. All of the sudden a bathroom, changing room or break area may not seem so innocent and employees can become uncertain of how to behave or what they should feel comfortable doing. Legal action can also be taken against employers who take the monitoring of their employees too far in the aforementioned prohibited areas, or if video is taken secretly.
It is therefore important when using video surveillance of employees to make sure they are aware it’s going on. They must also know where, when and how such information collection is being done. That way they know ahead of time they are being watched, that they can be expected to be caught doing bad behavior, but that their privacy and personal interactions are still safe.
Also important is not to jump to conclusions when monitoring employees. Seeing something on tape or collecting other information without getting all of the context of the situation can be dangerous and also lead to legal action. Something that may appear one way on film can easily be misinterpreted without knowing the full situation.
With all of the technology in today’s world, it’s often a good idea to watch over your employees in some fashion. You just must be aware first of the potential consequences, and you must develop a system to allow your employee’s to maintain a comfortable and trusting atmosphere within your company. Whether you monitor internet usage or use video surveillance, monitoring employees at your company has to be done carefully, legally and tactfully.
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