It goes without doubt that with the latest technological development and the hi end gadgets that are available in the market, monitoring the employees is not all that a big deal. There is a plethora of advantages when it comes to keeping a tab. However, there are some not so pleasant benefits and these hi end gadgets also come with their own problems.
1) Privacy issues
We need to understand that the privacy concern is something that companies cannot play with. When people work on computers, they may also tend to visit websites to check out their personal stuff. When these gadgets are installed, it means you are prying into their privacy. Then where does the attribute of transparency come in? Employees will be able to give their full one hundred percent only when you allow them to do their job without being spied on. The moment they get to know that they are being a kept a watch on, subconsciously their productivity goes down. This is quite a creepy thing and not recommended as such. It is imperative to reassure the employees that their privacy will be safeguarded and you are not going to dissect the data or you are not interested in their information like passports, driver’s license and so on.
In case if in many organisations, some of employee monitoring apps or plugins are used.
2) Trust issues
Employees may have feelings of dissatisfaction and anger and they would slowly disengage themselves. This could be counterproductive to company goals and productivity.
Many companies and the HRD department, EU must consent to personal data collection.
3) High levels of stress
If the employees get to know that their activities are being tracked, they would actually put in double the effort, work more than required, take lesser breaks. But this would actually hamper their productivity. This would also lead to higher levels of stress which may lead to drop in the morale of the employees and also reduce the employee turnover. The workplace laws state that companies cannot just barge into the privacy of the employees.
4) Legal issues
It is imperative to check out the legal issues with regards to the employee privacy, hence it is equally important for the employers to keep a tab on various laws, of what is allowed and what is not allowed. The employee monitoring legality may also vary from one place or location to another.
