employee monitoring
Posted: JUN 12, 2005 12:58:58 PM
The annectdotal examples offered in the article are merely hints toward what will become the trend of the future: ubiquitous integrated existence management. Employees who expect full benefits with their job, such as health coverage, will be expected to justify their benefits with the quality of their lifestyles. Ultimately, perhaps in the far future, the very concept of "privacy" will be a distant memory, something to be referred to in history books or period novels. The ultimate outcome may, in fact, be an era where neural biochip sensors, as a requirement of employment, constantly monitor the mental activity of the worker, and payment is provided only for the actual time when mental activity is specifically focused toward the job for which they are employed.
Timesheet or not to timesheet?
Posted: JUN 08, 2005 02:53:24 AM
Some interesting comments above, due to the performance of our department and the real need to understand what activities our employees work on we are evaluating the implementation of timesheets. This will allow the future work allocation such as projects and provide the management team visibility of each type of activity carried out by the teams.
Due to the culture of department and the historical differences that exist within the teams i personally believe it is a high risk move but one that needs to be implemented. As discussed in the forum, we do not want a 'Big Brother' type environment - just a high performing department able to plan projects effectively.
People & Process make the difference
Posted: JUN 03, 2005 10:35:57 AM
Good article and insight in to what "should" be done for implementing these technologies. You can't forget the many hours that went into pre-installation and meetings that made people feel better about the new systems. Technology is usually branded as being cold, forgetting about the personal, human nature side of business. I suggest we always remember that people make the difference and technology gives us the ability to enhance.
Monitoring Employees in the Workforce
Posted: MAY 28, 2005 08:30:49 PM
The reason most employers believe that their employees are ripping them off is because the reality is that many are!
Employee theft is responsible for the greatest percentage of losses (shrinkage) for businesses...more than losses resulting from shoplifting, robbery or other sources.
While it certainly makes sense to communicate clearly and effectively to the workforce when a loss prevention initiative is going to be undertaken, the fact remains that on average, for every ten employees hired, at least one is likely to steal if given the opportunity, one is unlikely to do so,irrespective of circumstances...the remaining eight will generally tend to be honest, but may be on-the-fence in some instances if at least minimum measures are in place.
Programs designed to curb losses (including loss of time which translates into "low prodctivity")such as CCTV tied to a DVR system, are used because they work to uncover the unscrupulous employee whose activity, if left to continue, may in fact contribute to honest employees losing their jobs when profits are seriously eroded--and even help trigger the business to fail altogether.
Monitoring - Amazing hah!
Posted: MAY 27, 2005 12:49:40 PM
Its surprising how the culture of spying and and rat'ing on employees using technology has gone out of hand! Whatever happened to the employee owned companies where every one had a good or equal share! All boils down to corporate greed!
Expectation of privacy - Not!
Posted: MAY 26, 2005 11:50:25 AM
I work in a call center where random monitoring is one way we ensure a quality customer experience. I am amazed at how many phone reps have an expectation of privacy when using a company computer, a company phone, a company network, a company internet connection...on company time. That's just not realistic. So it helps to have a clearly spelled-out company policy regarding appropriate, personal use of company resources, and dispel any expectation of privacy to begin with before monitoring ever becomes an issue.
Don't Watch, Measure
Posted: MAY 26, 2005 09:23:11 AM
At a prior organization where the work was computer-based, I implemented a software system that time-stamped each employee's work. But there was no "Big Brother" feel to it -- everyone knew what was going on, what was expected of them, and everyone saw the reports.
What made it work was employee performance was tied to an incentive pay system: do more work and you get more pay. It worked for the company because many employees performed at a superior level, but even with the incentive pay it was cheaper than hiring additional personnel to produce the same output. It also allowed the company to meet unrealistic delivery deadlines from several customers.
The 3-hour smoke breaks ended, and some employees left because they didn't like the competitive atmosphere. What we were left with were high-performing, motivated employees that trusted their work was being objectively measured, and had an opportunity to earn above-market salaries for their efforts. The employees won, the company won, and the customers won.
Companies can eliminate the wasted time and lost productivity by measuring, recognizing and rewarding work instead of lurking, spying, and punishing "cheaters".
Multiple levels on monitoring
Posted: MAY 25, 2005 01:52:55 PM
A friend worked at a hospital as a transplant nurse. Typically they stood around waiting for a case, most of the time towards the end of the shift someone would be selected to punch everyone else out. The rest would leave early.
The way they were caught is that the timecard company started an integration program with the card readers used to access rooms. . . . and the employee parking lot.
In the morning, they would enter the lot, with their card, and then punch in. At night punch out and then drive out(their card opening the gate.) The application team thought they had a "bug" when the times on the gates were prior to punching out. A quick review of the parking ramp security camera's secured their fate.
It boils down to one thing, honesty. If you aren't "cheating" your boss, you have significantly less to worry about. OOOOOppssss, I'm at work, using their computers, and network!!!!!!
Orwell was almost right, it's not government but big business;-)
MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 07:38:16 PM
Most companies that think they are getting ripped off by their employees. The companies that make the monitoring devices and software, promote to the companies, that they are getting ripped off, by their employess and give examples of gross neglegence. We, in the near future , will be monitored , by our cell phones or other trackable devices. If someone isn't watching AFTER 5PM, you will never know. With all the corporate shames going on, we are suppose to trust our employers? Well, just don't turn your back on them.Example: We are going through downsizing, but it is not going to affect our department. One month later, you receive notice.
J.G. Collins
Computer Consultant
PC Help Desk
Beware of Backfires From Monitoring
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 07:28:08 PM
Monitoring can backfire on a CIO in ways you can't even imagine.
I recently witnessed a contractor employee, on site at a client location, being accused in an indirect manner of viewing a web cam. The network staff at another location and organization within the client's enterprise made the accusation and referred it through multiple levels of management who then tasked a low-level security official to contact the contract employee's manager. No one on the network staff bothered to do a reverse-lookup of the web cam's IP address to who it was registered to, something anyone would expect would the very first step of any concern of inappropriate network usage.
So what's the first thing the manager learns? This is about the third time such an accusation was made and the "offending" web cam showed up, on a reverse IP look-up, at the employee's company as part of a portal technology demonstration project. In short, the employee did nothing wrong, yet suffered the accusation and the network staff got away with it. The security manager was embarrassed as was the employee, even though neither had done anything against any policy.
My question to any CIO is, if you monitor network usage and make a similar accusation that someone did something wrong, is your firm ready to suffer the inevitable litigation if you're wrong and you defamed that person?
Having developed an Internet policy including monitoring for a firm over 5,000 people, I am more than aware any such program must also include an iron-clad preliminary and follow-up investigation prior to contacting any employee or employee's manager. How else do you prevent creating embarrassing or liabiity situation?
By the way, that client's parent domain shows over 200 web cams available for viewing by anyone right now, a month after the incident described above. Even better, when I asked if the network staff considered whether the so-called webcam viewing could have been caused by one web page calling another as can happen with spawned pages from a page-driven script, people looked at me like I was from Mars. The thought never occured to anyone.
Pat
The Trust of Your Employees is an Added Commodity
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 04:08:38 PM
I can see where the employer implemented its change in the right manner. However, I did not see what efforts were put into place to assure that the employees trust would not be violated.
Current management is aware of what they did to obtain the trust of the employees to implement the change. However, some effort should also be put in place to assure that the change in management will not destroy what was obtained.
William Green
Sup ITSpecialist
OAA
WIIFM?!
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 02:44:37 PM
It's always about "What's In It For Me?"!
If you always remember this principle when implementing change, you'll be much more successful. Explain to your employees the benefits they'll enjoy from making this change - there's almost always something they'll like, especially if you don't surprise them with it.
I think the other secret to successful change implementation is to ensure that your solution does have some kind of benefit for all concerned. Don't pick a solution that doesn't. If you're worried about people punching out for other people, at least put in a system that speeds up the process so employees don't have to wait in line.
Monitoring Devices ARE Monitoring Devices
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 02:40:35 PM
Management's responsibility is to keep business profitable and unfortunately, some hired helps' behavior mandate the use of such technology as described here. Management has the good faith liability, however, to not appear to be sneaky. Clear communication is required especially in societies with a grand perception of privacy.
This article is timely as the governmental agency I work with is beyond half-way into implementing similar technology ahead of comprehensive employee education. I'm sharing your article with upper management to assist future similar decisions.
Bolaji Sojobi
Administrative Analyst
Glendale Water & Power
Pragmatic management recognizes even irrational fears
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 12:58:18 PM
Along with feeling uncomfortable with change, a majority of employees are technology-averse and paranoic about privacy. Regardless of how we believe employees "should" respond to change, and how non-intrusive we know certain new technologies to be, astute management recognizes these logistical obstacles to deploying new systems. Demanding and blaming are not useful strategic tools.
Danny Enroth
IT Manager
Evidente
It is about people
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 12:31:49 PM
While the technologies are valuable to businesses for cutting costs and achieving other goals, I think the implied message is that employees are dumb and I would contend that Employers (escpecially front line Managers) need to treat people like grown ups.
Besides at the end of the day, not matter how good the technology is, the people will be relied on to make it successful. Not everyone will be happy but with some "marketing" efforts up front, it will save a pound of trouble later down the road.
Tim Onsomu
Senior Network Engineer
Harland Financial Solutions
Workers who feel disrespected will not respect Management.
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 11:56:47 AM
I agree with the steps you've laid out to implement such tracking systems. But, regardless how much you try to "market" the value of such systems to workers, ultimately they see the reality that you are taking power away from them and puting it into the hands of "the suits". This will only be seen by workers, as time moves on, as a lack of trust in the worker to do the job, and make him feel untrusted, undervalued, and not on the same team. The compromise of empowerment will inevitable bring polarization.
So, we can adopt the "take it or leave it" attitude, and watch what workers take when they leave, or look at it from their perspective. I personally feel that a lot of what IT systems do today - to give Managers more control - is misdirected. To much focus is on central control and not enough to allow workers greater self control. If they are held accountable to targets, then they should have all the data, authority, and support to use their own ingenuity to assure that targets are met. This notion of "worker self-control" is a fundamendal tenet of Statistical Process Control used in Manufacturing since the 1940's and advocated by J. M. Juran.
Leaders should also set an example and track themselves and share that data. It'd be interesting to see how many GPS monitors are on any given golf course.
Dominic Cortella
Director, QA
QLogic Corp.
Did the company tell the employees it was wrong to clock others out?
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 10:20:10 AM
I suspect the company HAD relayed to the employees earlier that it was wrong to clock out others. Shame on the employees for being dishonest and wrong. People need to grow up. I work in an environment where everything is monitored....it makes life easier. Everyone has to do their own job and be a productive employee. Those that struck don't deserve their jobs.
Article on Monitoring Technologies
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 10:08:53 AM
Change is difficult for all of us and when we perceive its taking place behind our back, there is almost always the assumption of sneakiness or hidden agendas The more information given about tracking devices, the better. It gives employees the opportunity to adjust, ask questions and make better decisions which are generally more proactive and less reactive.
Tonya Slawinski
President
Supportive Solutions, Inc
Watch Carefully
Posted: MAY 24, 2005 08:25:49 AM
I have a suggestion for any company that wants to install technology to monitor its employees. To demonstrate real trust and commitment, track all employees, not just certain groups. CIO included.
People need to be communicated to avoid fears
Posted: MAY 20, 2005 04:46:16 AM
Any technology related implementation which involves monitoring of the daya to day activities causes concerns - its truly human.
I strongly feel that when companies communicate the need, advantages and the reason for implementing the same, they gain the confidence of every employee.
It is based on trust. You need to say that you trust the employee but at the same time the task has accountability.
Rupa Jaganath
Product Manager
Store Perform Technologies
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