The goal of employee monitoring is to improve productivity, security, legal compliance and staff conduct. Employers can collect data on how workers are spending time and interacting, allowing management to provide coaching, meet data security protocols, comply with regulations, and reduce any misconduct risks. Monitoring aims to protect company interests, however it requires balancing oversight with employee privacy. Rollout of monitoring software along with associated policies typically focus monitoring specifically on work devices and work time, avoiding overly intrusive data collection into personal online activities. With reasonable monitoring policies communicated transparently to staff, companies can achieve business objectives without deteriorating employee relations.
Why Monitor Employees
Compliance: Some industries require monitoring employee communications to comply with regulations. Monitoring helps financial services, healthcare, and publicly traded companies meet compliance standards.
Misconduct: Checks can be conducted to detect unauthorized activities like harassment in workplace communication channels or time theft. This minimizes legal and HR risks.
Best Practices for Monitoring
When establishing monitoring policies and procedures, it’s important employers follow best practices to balance business interests with employee relations:
- Be transparent about monitoring policies so employees understand what data may be collected and how it could be used. Share details in an employee handbook.
- Only collect the minimum data needed to serve the intended monitoring purpose, rather than overly broad data collection.
- Analyze monitoring reports promptly and fairly to avoid misinterpreting employee actions. Seek additional perspectives before determining outcomes.
- Provide regular training to employees on cyber security risks and compliance policies related to monitoring. This increases engagement.
- Get employee input on proposed monitoring programs before they launch so they have a voice. Be open to concerns.
- Restrict access to employee monitoring data reports to managers only on a need-to-know basis. This maintains sensitivity.
- The HR department is offering resources about employee monitoring to help managers effectively oversee team productivity while maintaining employee privacy and trust.
Effective Monitoring Methods
There are a few monitoring methods that balance business oversight with employee privacy when applied ethically:
- User activity monitoring tracks employee computer usage like websites visited or software programs used. This focuses on work devices only during working hours.
- Company email and internal communication channels can be monitored for excessive personal use, security issues or compliance violations. Access should be limited to automated scanning rather than individuals personally reading all messages.
- Time tracking software monitors productivity by recording time spent on tasks. To be effective, employees require training on properly assigning time to projects.
- Security camera surveillance outside offices and in public workplace areas discourages misconduct. Camera placement inside offices or focusing on computer screens would be excessively intrusive.
Conclusion
Regular monitoring can significantly benefit employers by improving productivity, security compliance and risk reduction. However, oversight should always be conducted reasonably and transparently to maintain positive employee relations and engagement. By sticking to non-intrusive methods and best practices focused on work devices and activities only, employers can achieve monitoring goals while respecting employee relations. Creating policy guidelines with employee input also helps increase comfort levels with monitoring programs.
With a balanced approach, monitoring can let employers actively safeguard business interests without negatively impacting company culture. Productivity, compliance and security can all be improved through an ethics-focused monitoring program designed with employee privacy in mind.