Employee Monitoring

Employee monitoring has taken another shape with globalization and socialization, in the twenty first century, technology has come up with diverse methods of employee monitoring as compared to the traditional model of employee monitoring (Stanton & Stam, 2006). There are diverse ethics concerning employee monitoring depending on context. It has been noted that employee monitoring has raised a number of concerns among the employee interest groups, business organizations, privacy advocacy groups, lawyers, civil libertarians and professional ethicists among other stakeholders (Martin & Freeman, 2003). This paper reflects on employee monitoring in Pepper Jack’s Neighborhood Grill.

Pepper Jack’s Neighborhood Grill has been torn apart from protecting the business empire or spying on the employees. The restaurant is owned by Ryan Elnore, and it is located in Erie, Colorado. Elnore believed that his employees were active while he was away; he sorted the services of Video Surveillance system, a model that allowed him to monitor his restaurant online. The results were shocking, the manager took a leave a short while after he had left and the other employees were relaxing at the workplace; employees were characterized with extended breaks, offered incompetent services to the customers and engaged one another in the social networking sites. Free dinners were also given to some of their friends, and they also consumed some of the food they had prepared.

Elnore argued that he had trusted his employees in his absence, but the video surveillance system has made him change his mentality on his employees especially while he is away. Elnore decided to incorporate video surveillance system as part of the organization, and employees came to know that they are constantly monitored. The system has allowed Elnore to monitor the actions of the employees and also revisit on the receipts offered by the cash registers. The Video Surveillance system has managed to let Elnore know if workers are smiling at customers, whether employees are cooking on time and whether cleaning is done appropriately among other services.

Elnore has concluded that video monitoring system is critical considering the performance of an organization. Elnore noted that the restaurant was overstaffed, costs of food declined significantly since the employees stopped giving away food and it has enabled Elnore to cover up busiest moments by engaging employees. Technology in the restaurant has paid off although he felt uneasy spying and monitoring employees. Remote Video Surveillance system on the restaurant has greatly enabled Elnore have more leisure time, be accountable to each and every dollar, have more control on the restaurant and it has enabled Elnore to reward and motivate hardworking employees.

Support groups for or against employee monitoring base their arguments on a number of aspects, the rationale ranges on legal aspects, economic aspects and on ethical aspects among others. No matter the arguments, moral and managerial considerations comes to play in decision making processes on whether to include or ignore employee monitoring systems. Employee monitoring is complex and diverse, different cultures consider employee monitoring differently (Martin & Freeman, 2003).

Employee monitoring is argued on the basis of productivity argument, liability argument, security argument, privacy argument, paternalism argument, creativity argument and in the social control argument among others. There are benefits and distractions attached to the employee monitoring. Issues of privacy, freedom, ownership, voluntary agreement, respect and responsibility has received diverse concerns among the different lobby groups.

Disadvantages of employee monitoring in a number of ways increase the stress and resentment levels among the employees and that employees develops a sense of mistrust between the employees and the management of the organization (Martin & Freeman, 2003). Organizations on the other hand argue that monitoring improves the general performance of the organization and that customer satisfaction is increased; which are critical for the sustenance of the organization in meeting the changing needs and wants of the target market.

Legal issues on employee monitoring considers the necessity of monitoring employees, actions in the company that are to be monitored and on the acceptable types of employee monitoring in the workplaces (Stanton & Stam, 2006). Monitoring is legal, but it has limits. In protecting the organization from legal problems; employees and the top management teams in organizations must negotiate on the extent of monitoring, nature of monitoring, repercussions of monitoring, benefits of monitoring, dangers of monitoring and on the technology to be used in monitoring. Mutual consent between the employees and the organization will discourage legal battles, since there will be internal mechanisms of solving conflicts (Stanton & Stam, 2006).

Video monitoring systems can be replaced by developing motivated teams in the workplaces through developing an inclusive organizational culture, building employee commitment, engaging performance appraisals, thanking employees on a personal ground, actively listening to the employees, having time with employees, sourcing for feedback from employees, creating a workplace that fosters trust, fun and openness; engaging employees in decision making processes, providing open information to the employees, encouraging a sense of ownership and responsibility in employees, celebrating success and engaging performance as a model of rewarding, recognizing and promoting the workforce (Martin & Freeman, 2003).

In conclusion, employee monitoring is a new concept in the market, and it has generated debates on whether to adopt and on the mechanisms of adopting Video Surveillance system. Privacy and business organizations argue from diverse standpoints in supporting or negating employee monitoring in organizations. Moral and legal considerations on employee monitoring are shaping the organizational culture in defining the extent of employee monitoring. There is a need of comprehensive and expansive approaches in issues of employee monitoring (Martin & Freeman, 2003).

References

Martin, K. & Freeman, E. (2003). Some Problems with Employee Monitoring. Journal of Business Ethics , 353–361.

Stanton, J. & Stam, K. (2006). The Visible Employee: Using Workplace Monitoring and Surveillance to Protect Information Assets-Without Compromising Employee Privacy or Trust. New York: Information Today, Inc.