Big Brother bosses

Another good Economist article that reveals how more than ever, companies want to know what their employees are up to. I got caught out by an email filter at work: a message I sent was (temporarily) deemed unsuitable and I was warned my line manager may be informed. It served as a reminder that we are watched more closely than we often think.

From Japanese railway workers having their smiles monitored to staff being watched to prevent theft, the employee monitoring business is booming. The fastest-growing area is software which lets firms record and playback exactly what happens on employees’ computer screens, and can even record keystrokes.

Why are firms doing this? One reason may be to monitor employees who are about to leave, whether through redundancy or choice. This to make sure they do not take sensitive information with them, which is a really big deal in the banking sector.

Then there is the threat of staff infecting networks with viruses. But more important is measuring productivity. Managers trying to decide who to make redundant can use forensic software to catch that slacking YouTube addict red-handed. Monitoring software can also be used to spot “presenteeism”—employees who turn up in the office every day but then do nothing.

None of this is very encouraging: either the behaviour of bosses or their workers. I agree with the authors of the article who fret that this may appear to reveal useful information, but doesn’t really address the basic problem. They quote one observer: “If you have to check up on employees all the time, then you probably have bigger issues than just productivity.”