Implications for the Practice of EPM in Organizations

Despite the mounting research evidence pointing to the drawbacks of EPM use, the availability of cheap monitoring software and the promise of improved performance make it quite likely that organizations will continue to rely on EPM in an effort to control behaviour. Given that EPM will be implemented, specific recommendations that can be gleaned from research and applied in practice are presented below. These recommendations do not justify the use of EPM. In fact, organizational decision makers should carefully consider the need to implement EPM in light of the concerns raised above. However, if the decision is made to monitor employees electronically , these recommendations will help to mitigate the negative effects of EPM.

Identify the cause of the problem before searching for a solution. If the decision to implement EPM is in reaction to problems such as absenteeism or tardiness, it is worthwhile to spend the time and effort to discover why these actions are occurring. This will involve engaging in a discussion with employees, managers, human resource (HR) personnel, and others who have a stake in solving the problem. Once the problem is identified, consider the use of organizational behaviour modification programs that rely on positive reinforcement rather than the punishing effects of EPM. Organizational behaviour modification programs have been found to have a significant positive effect on performance (Stajkovic & Lutans, 1997).

If the reason for implementing EPM is simply to enhance call answer times or to reduce average call length, consider whether those are the most important outcomes for customers. Most customers want their questions addressed and problems resolved to their satisfaction. They likely do not care whether it takes 30 seconds or 60 seconds to do so, as long as they are ultimately satisfied. Is it not more important, then, to ensure (a) that call centre staff are properly trained in resolving customer complaints, and (b) that performance is assessed by their ability to effectively resolve customer complaints? It is much easier for supervisors to establish call answer times as the key performance criteria than to assess customer satisfaction. However, employees will engage in activities that are rewarded. As Grant and Higgins (1991) demonstrated, if organizations reward quantity over quality, employees will respond by increasing the quantity of their work while reducing quality.

Instituting an EPM system might address particular problems in the short- term , but as indicated earlier, EPM will likely create a whole different set of problems that are more difficult to address. As well, EPM might not improve customer satisfaction levels, especially if the wrong outcomes are being assessed.

Respect privacy and maintain fairness . If EPM systems are implemented, they should be designed to accomplish organizational goals in the least obtrusive method possible. Drawing on Carayon (1993), Grant and Higgins (1989), and Ambrose and Alder (2000), for most purposes, it is not necessary to monitor employees continuously or to monitor every behaviour. Also, the statistics generated by EPM should not be used to engender competition among employees, nor should individual employee statistics be available for anyone to see. Respecting employee rights for privacy and maintaining fairness will not eliminate negative reactions but it will minimize the negative consequences of monitoring.

Track the negative consequences of EPM . The relationships are clear. EPM results in increased stress, which can lead to increased illness (Cohen et al., 1991), and can result in rising health costs, absenteeism, dissatisfaction, and turnover (Cascio, 1991). Managers and HR staff must take responsibility for addressing the consequences of EPM if they are willing to endorse its use. In fact, HR must serve as the gatekeeper to protect employees and monitor the impact of EPM on them. Better yet, HR must question the desire for management to implement EPM and raise awareness of the long-term consequences of EPM use. At a minimum, HR must apply policies and procedures for the implementation and practice of EPM that limits the negative consequences for monitored employees.

Build trust and reassess the value of EPM . Deutsch-Salamon and Robinson (2002) demonstrated that building trust among employers and employees decreased deviance . If organizations are willing to engage in activities that communicate trust, they may not need to rely on electronic monitoring to police employees. Even if monitoring is in place, building trust will result in positive outcomes and potentially mitigate the need for electronic monitoring.