The Pros and Cons of Employee Monitoring
By: Holly Zink
Tags: Business, Employees, Monitoring Software, Monitoring

There are numerous techniques that companies have adopted to help monitor their employees. Through the latest technology, you can make sure that while at work, your employees are staying on top of their work tasks. Monitoring employees should not be viewed negatively, but as a way to improve your business.

Companies have used techniques such as clock in/out systems, tracking company phones and vehicles, utilizing cameras in the workplace, and many other useful techniques. You can track employee performance, workplace safety, and other valuable business insights. However, the results will only be accurate if the techniques are used appropriately. So, are you considering monitoring your employees? Here are the pros and cons of employee monitoring.

Pros:

Limit Distractions

By limiting distractions, you can help increase employee productivity. Using technology like employee monitoring software, you can see when employees are spending time on non-work-related activities and how much time they are wasting on the task. The business owner can block these distractions while at work and guide their employees to stop wasting time during work hours.

Track Productivity

You will not be able to tell how productive your employees are if you do not monitor their performance. You cannot resort to guessing how much work your employees are doing. By tracking their productivity, you can tell which employees are wasting time during work hours and who is working efficiently. Based on the results, you can see if it’s worth putting time in helping certain employees or if they should be let go.

Create A Standard

Creating a standard of what needs to be done or what is appropriate at work will keep your employees from falling off track. This is a key benefit of employee monitoring because it will establish a norm in the work environment. If you notice that one of your employees is accessing or viewing content they shouldn’t be, it could be a sign that they’re not on track or focusing on something that is not work-related.

Highlight Trustworthy Employees

Employees have to earn their employer’s trust through work quality and high productivity rates. Employee monitoring is perfect for this. You can track which employees are delivering positive results, who is meeting all the deadlines, and who hit productivity goals. If you notice someone is not meeting these requirements, you can reach out to the employee and use the monitoring results as proof.

Protect The Company From Attacks

Using computer monitoring tools, you can filter internet use to make sure your employees are not accessing sites that are unproductive or potentially dangerous. If you were an employee, you wouldn’t want to open a link or something that could possibly expose sensitive company information. Using a monitoring tool will help you track your data and help keep it out of the wrong hands.

Cons:

Privacy Concerns

Any employee monitoring will affect your relationship with your employees. Depending on the person and work environment, monitoring employees can cause an increase in employee turnover. This often occurs when a monitoring system is put into place after an employee is hired (and possibly without their knowledge).

Decrease Employee Morale

Many employees will have a negative outlook on the business when implementing a monitoring system. Employees may think that their employer does not trust them. Possibly, once the system is in place, they may notice some employees are not working as hard as others. This can spark rumors amongst employees and may cause them to think negatively about the company.

Unfavorable Rumors May Arise

More than likely, a monitoring system is never in favor of the employees. This can cause a negative feeling towards the company and towards management, primarily if it is spread to the public. This could affect relationships with other businesses, employees, and potential future employees as well.

Expensive

You must have the technology in place to monitor employee activities. Implementing a monitoring system comes with staffing costs. Someone has to check the system, maintain productivity, monitor phone calls, and other professional tasks. Not to mention the cost of the software itself.

Legal Issues

There are specific laws in place that prohibit the interception of communications or accessing communications in an authorized way. Many forms of monitoring communication require employee consent, and oftentimes, it is assumed instead of employers asking their employees.

What employee monitoring systems do you have in place for your company? Although monitoring your employees may help increase productivity, it may cause employees to lose trust in the company. Every company is different, and specific types of monitoring may work better than others. That is why it is important to know your employees before any kind of monitoring system is put into place.