Many companies want to be sure that their employees remain productive even when working from home. Periodic office visits to check on employees is not an option in this situation, but spyware and keylogging technologies are.
Some employers are considering these technologies as they balance employee privacy with the need to manage their team and monitor productivity. Distractions are easy to come by when working from home, with children at home, grocery deliveries and various other factors.
These and other distractions raise employers’ suspicions that employees are not being as productive as they could be. However, productivity is not the only reason for monitoring, as employers also want to protect trade secrets, avoid data breaches and generally discourage improper behaviour, which are some of the drivers for increasing surveillance on remote workers.
Excessive or improper employee monitoring can cause significant morale problems, erode trust between employees and even create potential legal liabilities for privacy related violations. Technology has made it convenient to monitor employees, and by extension easier to violate the law for employers that are not careful.
Companies that choose to monitor their employees should do so with respect. One recommendation on how to do so is choosing the metrics by involving all stakeholders. Make sure that what the company tracks is relevant and necessary. Simply monitoring the amount of emails read and written, for example, is not a reliable indicator of productivity.
Engage all relevant stakeholders in the process to determine the right metrics, from hiring managers to supervisors to those who are actually being monitored. In regards to employee engagement, it is important to reach both experienced and new employees alike, and that they are able to deliver their work.
The second recommendation is to be transparent with employees and what the company monitors, and why. Honestly communicating with employees should be part of every healthy workplace culture. Inform employees of what and why the company is monitoring them.
Transparency allows employees to understand the company’s motives and decide whether they feel comfortable with it or not. Give them the opportunity to offer feedback, share the results of the monitoring and provide a system where they can appeal decisions about their career influenced by the data collected.
Remote work is likely to continue for a while, and some companies have fully embraced the concept. In this situation, management of employees will raise new challenges for companies. Communicate trust to employees by trying to pull back on surveillance when productivity is high.
