Employee Monitoring - Research Paper Example

Employee Monitoring Employee Monitoring In this era where technology has been invented to solve every problem that humans seem to face, there exists contention with the issue of ethics in the workplace, employee monitoring, and work productivity. Employee monitoring could be defined as the practice of observing employee’s activities with their working equipment during the intended work hours in a work environment. Many employees would argue that it could be an infringement of their privacy by the employer if at all any employee monitoring tools were used.

However, this would significantly contradict the fact that many work places have suffered productivity levels given the involvement of workers into other activities that do not pertain work activities. It is even worse that the employees misuse the same equipment provided to do other misguided work not related to their work environment. This paper will try and provide more understanding on the issue of work ethics and the concept of Protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII) in the work environment by the employee.

This will be done in relation to the rights the employer has encompassed with the obligations of the employee at the workplace (Chester, 2012). PII that could be easily monitored through employee monitoring techniques include web based email, chats, Instant Messaging (IM), download files, usernames and passwords by keystroke using POP3 technology, and file attachments that have been sent or received. The catch would b1e the logs, also recorded that would interpret the usernames and passwords easily identifying with individual employees, making it more dangerous for restricted workers to dwell in the murky activities that did not involve work (Lane, 2003).

The main root of contention in employee mo2nitoring rise from ethics of privacy at work environments and the rights of the employer to monitor productivity. Ethics state that each employee has the right to privacy based on the moral definitions that involve the work environment. On the other hand, the employer has the right to supervise work productivity by monitoring the work progress, and any other activity of the employee that would regulate productivity. Pointing a finger to any of these sides would be contentious, as employees have gone ahead to redefine the morals that ethics should strive to take care of by claiming to have the rights to surf and do other activities not related to work at all.

The employee, in turn, considers this illegal as a lot of resources and time are wasted by employees in activities that would not at all add any value to the productivity of the workplace. Some of the effects that employee monitoring has in a working 3environment are hereby discussed in the succeeding paragraphs. The first effect that employee monitoring would cause is resentment of the employer given the thought of employees being treated like small kids. There is no appalling feeling than adults having the feeling that they are being closely monitored as this questions their responsibilities.

This resentment could in turn counter the productivity levels that the same employer could be trying to regulate by employee monitoring. A question that arises, however, is whether the employer should make it known to the employees of any monitoring activities by the employer. This would silently violate the employees’ rights and at the same time avoid this resentment that would set in with the knowledge of employee monitoring. Another negative effect that pertains employee monitoring is the insecurity that employees would have.

Many issues usually arise in a work situation where the employees usually have a bone of contention with the management. However, employee monitoring would suppress the rights of the employee as the management would be able to tie down any employee with the misuse of their work equipment. This would completely make employees cocoon with their work problems, a scenario that would brew up hostility that would eventually result to a strike. The other impact that concerns employee monitoring is on the side of the employer.

This task would provide unnecessary burden for extra attention by the management that would result in wastage of time that could have been put in better use. Some efficient employee monitoring equipment can also prove to be expensive to maintain and thus incur losses for the employer. Trying to solve the problem of employee monitoring by determining whoever is wrong or right between the employer and the employee would be very tough. Instead, other means such as a written company policy between the employee and the employer should be brought to practice to have a mutual agreement between the two parties.

Such a policy would contain all the terms that the employee would be expected to adhere. In case of any infringement, documented and agreed upon consequences would be observed. This would include denial of internet service, termination of employment, reprimanding of employees, and blockage to some privileged sites. In as much as these sound harsh, both parties would have at least had the mutual agreements on paper and, therefore, eliminate any ill feeling from the employees (Webley and Werner, 2009).

References Chester, E. (2012). Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader's Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce. New York: Greenleaf Book Group Press. Lane, F. (2003). The Naked Employee: How Technology Is Compromising Workplace Privacy. Boston: AMACOM. Webley, S., and Werner, A. (2009). Employee Views of Ethics at Work: The 2008 National Survey. New York: Institute of Business Ethics.