Khanh Huynh
Marcia Leath
ENGL 735
16/10/2017
The Use of Monitoring Devices at the Workplace
For the past decade, many companies have changed their way of using modern technologies. Therefore, it has resulted in newer strategies to manage employees at the workplace. The increased usage of surveillance and monitoring have caused concerns for both employees and employers. These technologies should not be allowed at the workplace because it can create poor working environment and violates
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Personal information and important data like bank accounts and e-mails are vulnerable with monitoring devices placed everywhere.
Another reason is the stress monitoring employees in the workplace can cause. More than 12 million people are monitored by electronic surveillance at work causing a sharp rise in stress levels, according to a survey by the Policy Studies Institute (PSI). Moreover, overly intrusive monitoring could decrease productivity and potentially cause exhaustion and feelings of anxiety. The Security Director’s Report adds that surveillance can undermine morale and cause employees to resent management. It can foster discord and instead of bridging the existing gaps between management and their employees, surveillance activities may bring in more skepticisms and gaps.
But some people argue that putting such devices in offices will increase the performance of employees. For example, employees can be distracted by websites that are non-work related. According to a Nielson Media Research study, employees allegedly logged into outlets such as gaming websites and social media networks like Facebook or Twitter. Any kind of viruses or malware could severely disrupt a business’s day-to-day activities; this could become detrimental to productivity and have a knock-on effect on profits. By monitoring employee internet use and ensuring only business surfing is carried out this
Did you know that 58% of employers have fired workers for Internet and email misuse? And 48% justify employee video monitoring as an effort to “counter theft and violence?” According to the “2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey” of which 304 U.S. companies participated in, computer-monitoring results have led to the highest cause of employee termination. These companies used several tactics to eavesdrop on employees while claiming to be managing productivity or for security purposes. Some argue that surveillance is absolutely necessary to help protect and grow a business; others argue that employee and customer rights come first. However, companies that use such tactics often violate the privacy of individuals, exploit their private information and even punish those that do not conform to their standards.
The use of surveillance is becoming increasingly evident around the world. Surveillance is carried out in many different forms from simple methods such as video surveillance to more complex methods such as call and browser monitoring. Although it might seem that surveillance is undeniably convenient when pursuing a criminal or preventing a terrorist attack, it is often misused and many are beginning to question why there
1. Use of on premise security cameras to spy on the activities of fellow employees
Employers have to monitor employees for security concerns relating to intentional or accidental release of sensitive data. Mohl, shows in a 2006 survey by Proofpoint Inc.
A company's privacy protection can limit the company's liability in many ways. By monitoring employees work and progression, a company can ensure that the employee is being productive. By monitoring an employee's productivity, the company can ensure that employee is performing all their job duties and performing them correctly. If performed incorrectly, the company may be held responsible. Companies can also monitor employees to ensure all employees are using the company's assets for company related reasons and not conducting any personal or illegal activities that can
Electronic monitoring has seen a tremendous growth in the workplace, in the past 10 years. The National Work Rights Institute
In Brian Trent’s article, Technology and Tomorrow: A Challenge to Liberty, Trent describes how electronic surveillance has increased and how it will continue to spread amongst people. In Craig Silverman’s article, Smile, Big Brother’s watching, Silverman explains that the amount of time and surveillance that corporations conduct over employees is increasing, but having some negative effects. Both of these articles explain how electronic surveillance will increase so much, that almost everyone will be able to be seen when not in the open [monitored]. In this essay I’ll be going more in depth to describe both articles and I’ll explain whether I agree with their arguments and why.
Ball, K.S.(2001). Surveillance Society: Monitoring everyday life. Information Technology & People, 14(4), 414-419. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222415193?accountid=32521
Everyone today is being monitored in some way, shape, or form whether you know it or not. Some of the employees, such as patient care technicians and nurses, at the Florida Hospital Celebration Health are being tracked every step they take. In each badge there is a sensor that calculates how many times a worker visits their patient’s room and the nurse’s station. They have had this form of a tracking mechanism for over 35 years (Katz 1). This is just another illustration of how people are tracked unnecessarily
Businesses putting in cameras and monitoring computers are not uncommon now a days. Observing the work area and its employees allows employers to find out who works and who doesn 't. Well-placed cameras and software helps companies detect and identify any employees who may be stealing company property or slacking off on work computers. A 2005 survey by the American Management Association showed that more than half of the employers use video surveillance at work to counter theft, violence, or sabotage (AMA 2010). And 16% of the employers surveyed used video surveillance to monitor employee performance (AMA 2010). When talking about property damage, having the surveillance cameras monitored by security personnel greatly increases the chance of catching anyone misusing or stealing company
A policy on employee and computer monitoring will also help reduce the potential for legal liability that might arise out of the actions of the employee for electronic communications that can be found to be in violations of the laws related to workplace discrimination, harassment, and obscenity as well as those involving intellectual and trade secrets property rights. (Stephen D. Lichtenstein, p.2) Federal and state laws impose upon the employers the obligation to provide policy that will protect employees against sexual harassment or workplace discrimination. It is not sufficient that the company proves that it acted on the complaint of an employee against another employee. The conduct of an investigation will also not
Workplace surveillance has become a controversial issue in the workplace environment. The technological surveillance has developed as a necessity, it doesn’t only help in monitoring what the workers’ do, but it also helps to know how they do it. The modern technological development may have helped the employers’ to have an aerial view of the workplace environment, but it has created a controversy between the employees’ and the employer about the employees’ right to privacy being violated. The employees’ believe the act of workplace surveillance to be hateful that violates their right to privacy and liberties. The surveillance at the workplace often effects workers mental health, productivity, future success in their work and their relationship with the employer, despite being a necessity for the employers’ to protect themselves against the liability, many employers’ in the process of achieving efficiency through surveillance mistakenly ruin their relationship with their employees. The workplace surveillance is helpful in improving the performance of workers or it is contributing towards degrading the performance of workers and their work relationships.
It has been proved that computers help a business ease its activities such as record keeping, monitoring employees and word processing among others. However, the use of computers in the workplace breeds concerns such as security threats and privacy issues. Computer systems are not only prone to hackers but also other security issues that may compromise the company’s activities and social integrity. The research will probe into some of the advantages and disadvantages of computer surveillance.
Our society would not survive in the 21st century without the help of electronic surveillance. Safety is one of the main purposes of electronic surveillance. Safety is the state of being secure and free from danger of any sort. Today, many would rather give up their privacy for safety (Smithsimon). In fact, surveillance gadgets such as cameras, radio tracking chips and house alarms are used in many places to ensure safety. For instance, a parent can easily place a hidden camera in a stuffed animal in order to see how the babysitter handles his or her child (Public Places Have Eyes). Cameras are also used to ensure safety on school premises. According to the GCC College Safety website, "the college has an extensive system of surveillance
In The Los Angeles Times (2013) an article titled, “Tracking workers’ every move can boost productivity,” stated how employers are using surveillance software to monitor employees every movement. Employees are criticizing the monitoring software since it has caused harsher work environment. Employees feel with the monitoring system, employers see them as human machines a way to drive costs down and increase production (Semuels, 2013). Employees are finding that monitoring technology have cost jobs