Electronic Monitoring To Measure Employee Productivity

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Table of Contents:

Introduction:

The succession of information technology has shaped day to day working environment of employees and the relationship amongst the groups and individuals at the workplace. But in this growing pace of competitive era, workplace is characterized by the dependency on the computer technology encompassing the internet usage and email for accomplishing critical business operations. In this context, Electronic Monitoring system is increasingly implemented by several organizations in order to measure the performance productivity of the employees at the work place. This system is intended to examine the job framework and worker’s stress and also evaluating the employees’ organizational performance through the implementation of electronic monitoring medium. The significantly implementation of electronic monitoring system implies the job demands, control and social support. The maximization in the complexity and prevalence of the technology usage has provoked several enterprises for the implementation of electronic monitoring system in the organizations.

From the sight of employers, their employees will obey with specified organizational benchmarks for behavior while constantly monitored. This electronic monitoring has come up with remarkable change in the organizational operations. But on the other hand, this augmented usage of electronic technologies within the enterprise and at the workplace has altered the relationship of employers and employees. The electronic monitoring system utilized software that randomly captured images of employees and also exposed the online activities such as information about visited websites, its duration and relevancy with the working profile. Additionally, this monitoring software revealed about staff chat rooms, downloaded files, games, email received or sent and also monitor information about music, unraveling pornography and movies that have been downloaded in flouting of copyright policies of the organization (Justine Houston, 1999).

Current Trend of Electronic Monitoring:

The system of Electronic Monitoring has made it feasible to enterprises for executing electronic performance monitoring although permitting management to access the computer systems for evaluating the rate at which each employees of the organization are working. Through the adoption of this technology, various points are coming into the attention of managers comprising log-in and log-off time, grade of accurateness at the work place and also the time being spent as leisure. The consistently growing adoption of electronic monitoring has resulted in wide debate amongst various business and groups of employees. Several advisories are claiming that electronic monitoring is aimed to invade the employee privacy and might also depreciate the satisfaction of employees towards their working profile (Justine Houston, 1999).

Electronic Monitoring in the context of Taylor’s Theory:

The application of Taylor theory in the electronic monitoring of individual at the workplace has been challenging. Through the application of electronic monitoring specified tasks of employees would be analyzed and effort implied for enhancing productivity of employees along with organization. The principles of Taylor theory are applied in the electronic monitoring system for employees by managers and employers. Every movement of employees has been monitored through computer screens. Organizations implemented Taylor’s principles in order to understand usage of internet by employees in the enterprise. For instance, specified software is engaged in carrying out motion and time studies which aimed at reducing and computing keystrokes and mileage (Andrew Urbaczewski, 2002).

Electronic Monitoring in the context of McGregor’s Theory:

The theory X by McGregor in the electronic monitoring is used to control and efficiently utilize the human energy to best suit to the organizational objectives. This theory is responsible to systematize all elements for ensuring productive enterprise as well as also facilitating motivated and controlled environment to the employees in the organization. As per the theory people are lazy and tend to challenge organizational needs and need to be guided. Through the electronic monitoring for employees, it will facilitate management a better way to examine employee’s activities and their time spending simultaneously indentifies their weaknesses and serves them appropriate solutions. On the other hand, theory Y by McGregor is more suitable with time and modern working environment. As per this theory, all elements that are to be needed for building productive environment such as tools, employees and fund are responsibilities of management. In the contrast with theory X, people are not lazy in nature or opposing organizational needs but because of working experience with several organizations, individual motivation and guidance became like this. In the view of McGregor, the most significant task for management is to place organizational environment in such a way that people may achieve their goals and objects and are able to manage their energies for the fulfillment of organizational long term objectives. After analyzing all theories of McGregor and Taylor, theory Y is more realistic as compared to others because individual in the organization feel challenging to be controlled and favor to be treated as adults who could control themselves (Andrew Urbaczewski, 2002).

Ethical Issues:

The electronic monitoring and employee observation are the latest technological advancement trends that are used in the organization in the most ethical manner. In the organization, if employees are notified about his/her monitoring then it would be considered as ethical base as no law can prevents employer from the office monitoring. The most imperative ethical issue cited concerning to the electronic monitoring are the implications of this system over the health of employees that caused by stress and privacy. Some employees supposed that they have right to verify personal emails at the workplace and make personal calls but on the other hand employer might cost him time and money if employees used time and work equipment for personal stuff (Michael Bassick).

Stakeholders Involvement in the Electronic Monitoring structure:

Stakeholders are the government, employees and employer as it puts the law which prevents or permits and controls standards of monitoring to be allowed its consequences on employee appraisal and their profession. The upper management executives, employees and managers are foremost engaged about suitable monitoring of computing tasks and precise roles relevant to the job comprising involvement in the execution of monitoring practices and policies. As this monitoring system comprising of downloading, uploading and viewing of contents and evaluating extreme personal usage of organizational assets and electronic accessories (Wakefield, 2004).

Conclusion:

The escalating cases of cyber loafing and lawsuits adjacent to organizations by employees has encouraged many organizations to implement electronic monitoring system in order to assess the usage of internet computer for non-job purpose. This new advancement in the organization has strengthened the organizational activities and enhanced the organizational and employees productivity.

Recommendations:

The following recommendations may be executed by management board of the organization for implementing Electronic Monitoring system in the enterprise:

Employees training on communication enabled proper usage of organizational equipments and awareness about ethical and unethical behavior consideration. The usage of business emails should be prohibited on personal communication.

The usage of organizational computer systems and equipments should be related to work matters and also not download and install personal software on official systems.

Personal calls and other personal communication should be done in the breaking hours.

Employees should inform by communicating causes and effects of misuse of official assets for personal use and assist them for proper utilization of company resources.

Rational work benchmarks should be developed and communicated to the employees in order that they can understand the assessment criteria adopted by the monitoring system.