Preface


Introduction

The use of new information and communication technologies, including the increasing amount of work being done online, whether on the Internet, intranets , LANs, or other networks, has made extensive employee monitoring and surveillance by employers inexpensive and easy, and it now is, it appears, very widespread (see Kizza and other chapters for some figures). The important issue, of course, is whether or not it matters that this surveillance is occurring. The subtitle of this book, Controversies and Solutions, assumes that it does matter, and indeed, the practice is controversial. It is controversial because there are some compelling arguments both for and against it.

There are many reasons offered for this monitoring (in this introduction, I am using monitoring and surveillance interchangeably, although strictly speaking they are different, as Botan and Vorvoreanu explain). The most obvious justification is that with better- monitored employees , profitability is greater because they will be doing their jobs more conscientiously and efficiently . One recent study questions the extent to which monitoring does, indeed, improve efficiency (Stanton & Julian, 2002), something raised also in this book, particularly by Zweig and Stahl et al. There are not only arguments from the employer s perspective. The Computer Business and Equipment Manufacturers Association put it like this:

The measurement of work by computer is a legitimate management tool that should be used wisely. Used appropriately, monitoring and related techniques, such as incentive pay or promotion based on productivity, can increase both an organization s effectiveness and the employee s ability to advance. (Lund, 1992,p . 54)

So the employees can also benefit. This point of view is endorsed by DeTienne.

Not only will these computers keep closer tabs on employees, but based on this added information, the computer will be able to help employees do their jobs more effectively. Information gathered via computer monitoring will increasingly be used to coach employees. Currently, many organisations use the information gathered as a basis for criticism. Companies will begin to realize that it is more motivating for employees to be coached rather than reproached. (DeTienne, 1993,p .35).

Monitoring is also justified on the grounds that it can assist in employee health and safety, and help reduce or eliminate sexual, racial, and other forms of harassment . A strong argument can also be mounted that it is necessary to control crime and corruption in the workplace, especially theft and financial fraud. And there is, of course, the issue of vicarious liability (Cutler, 1998). If employers are liable for the actions of their employees, they seem to have a responsibility to know what those employees are doing.

On the other hand, there is rising concern about the rights of employees, especially with respect to their rights to privacy. Roger Clarke (2004) lists these as follows :

  • fair information practices in relation to employee personal data

  • surveillance of activities using employer-provided facilities

  • fair dealings by employers

  • intrusions into privacy of the person

  • intrusions into privacy of personal behaviour

This controversy regarding the violation, or supposed violation, of employees privacy rights is the main topic of the chapters by Miller and Coleman, and discussed to a greater or lesser extent in most of the others.

There are other concerns, as well. There are questions of justice and employee autonomy, discussed in the chapter by Rooksby and Cica; the legitimacy of some informed consent , a notion examined in the chapter by Steve Clarke; respect for employees as persons; and trust (Weckert, 2002), raised here particularly by Zweig but also by Zirkle and Staples, and Botan and Vorvoreanu. There is also evidence that computer-monitored employees suffer health, stress, and morale problems to a higher degree than other employees (Aiello & Kolb, 1996; Bewayo, 1996).

Clearly, then, there are conflicting rights and interests. Employers have legitimate interests in efficiency, profit, and vicarious liability, while employees have rights to privacy. Ways must be found to resolve these conflicts, a central theme of most of the following chapters.

In order to help clarify some of the questions, there are two areas in which distinctions must be drawn. One of these is the issue of different applications of monitoring. Employees might be monitored with respect to e-mail usage (content and addresses), URLs visited, the quality and speed of their work, their work practices (health and safety), employee interaction, and perhaps others. Different types of software are available to facilitate different sorts of monitoring. Keystrokes can be monitored for speed and accuracy, and the work on an employee s computer screen may be brought up on the screen of another without the employee s knowledge. Common software for accessing the Internet logs all activity so that a record is kept of all visits to all sites. E-mail and listservs also can be monitored. A supervisor easily can find who did what on the Internet or on any network. Monitoring in some areas may be more justifiable than in others (see Chapter I for more examples of monitoring).

The other area where distinctions must be drawn is with regard to different kinds of work situations. In some situations, employees (e.g., medical practitioners and university lecturers who have confidential relationships with patients and students, respectively) require a high level of autonomy. Different considerations will apply in different occupations (Miller & Weckert, 2000).

A comprehensive examination of workplace monitoring must combine a number of different approaches. Conceptual analysis is required to enunciate and clarify relevant concepts ” privacy, trust, and autonomy, for example. An examination of the technology is required to understand what can be done, how easily and at what cost it can be done, and how intrusive it will be (networks and software). Empirical research is required to understand better the effects of various kinds of monitoring in different situations. These effects need to be understood in relation both to individual employees and groups of employees, and to employers and employees. Legal input is also necessary to understand what can and cannot be done legally in the workplace. All of these approaches are represented in this book.




Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace. Controversies and Solutions
Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace: Controversies and Solutions
ISBN: 1591404568
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2005
Pages: 161

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