Digital surveillance has become increasingly common in the modern workplace. Using electronic surveillance tools such as keystroke logging, screen monitoring, and email tracking has both potential benefits and drawbacks. While it can aid in monitoring performance, ensuring compliance, and improving security, digital surveillance also raises concerns about employee privacy, morale, and productivity. It seldom is a sign of good management—and often a symptom of really bad management.
What is Digital Surveillance?
Digital surveillance in the workplace involves monitoring employee activity via the use of various software- and hardware-based tools. Often referred to as “bossware,” these digital surveillance tools include:
- Keystroke loggers that record every keystroke employees make on their computer keyboards
- Click trackers that track mouse clicks and cursor movements
- Screen grabbers that take screenshots or stream live views of employees’ screens
- App and website trackers that log which software programs employees use and which websites they visit
- Time trackers that monitor employees’ active vs. idle time
In addition, digital surveillance can involve reading employee emails; monitoring Microsoft Teams, Slack, and other messaging platforms; recording telephone calls; monitoring employees via their computer webcams or carefully placed cameras; and tracking the location of remote employees via GPS. Employers can monitor both company-supplied and employees’ personal devices.
Is Digital Surveillance at Work Legal?
While surveillance laws vary from country to country, digital workplace surveillance is generally legal in the U.S., with a few exceptions. Employers are permitted to monitor employee activities on company-provided devices and networks as long as they comply with the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and other relevant laws. There are also laws that regulate the use of video and audio surveillance and recording, especially where employees have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
That said, employers should have clear policies regarding workplace surveillance and inform employees of what activities and communications are being monitored. Employees should have no expectation of privacy when it comes to communication via company-supplied channels, such as email and messaging; whatever you do at work can and in some instances will be monitored.
(As an aside, I fell victim to electronic surveillance a few years ago. A really, really bad manager who was looking for a reason to get rid of me started combing through my Microsoft Teams messages and found one particular meeting where, in a private message to another employee, I wrote “I could just kill this guy.” I obviously didn’t have murder on my mind, but they used that as an excuse to terminate my employment based on an otherwise-unrelated policy regarding workplace violence. Given that I was communicating via Teams, I should have known that the conversation could be monitored—and used against me.)
Are There Benefits to Using Digital Surveillance Tools?
There are reasons why some employers use digital surveillance tools—and some situations where they might be necessary. In particular, digital surveillance tools can be useful for:
- Monitoring employee performance
- Enforcing company policies
- Ensuring regulatory compliance
- Preventing theft, data breaches, and other security risks
To be specific, in some circumstances it may be necessary to monitor the activities and communications of employees, especially new hires, to ensure they’re doing their jobs properly and to identify areas where they may need additional training. Some jobs may require electronic surveillance to ensure that proper procedures are being followed and regulations complied with. And some customer-facing positions may require monitoring to ensure the best possible customer service.
What Are the Drawbacks to Digital Surveillance?
All that said, digital surveillance is not necessary for most employees, especially more skilled and experienced ones. While you might monitor the performance of a new minimum-wage worker at a drive-thru window, you probably wouldn’t need to read the Slack messages of a high-level executive. In fact, subjecting most employees to digital surveillance will likely work against you.
What are the main drawbacks to employing digital surveillance in the workplace? There are many, including:
- Digital surveillance undermines trust. When you use digital surveillance tools to monitor your employees activities and communications, that tells them that you don’t trust them to do their jobs properly. And if you don’t trust them, why should they trust and be loyal to you? Unbound digital surveillance is a form of micromanagement, and only really bad managers micromanage their employees.
- Digital surveillance creates a culture of fear and stress. When employees are constantly being monitored, they live in fear of making even minor mistakes. They fear being penalized for minor infractions and stressed out having to constantly “perform” for management.
- Digital surveillance results in lower performance. Multiple studies have shown that employees who are under surveillance are less happy in their jobs, are less engaged with their work and their company, and are less motivated to do well. Overly-monitored employees are less productive than non-monitored colleagues.
- Digital surveillance undermines creativity and innovation. Employees under electronic surveillance focus their attention on not breaking the rules which stifles any out-of-the-box thinking. They become more robotic and less creative.
- Digital surveillance causes employees to leave. Companies using digital surveillance tools experience significantly higher turnover rates; employees don’t like being monitored and micromanaged and leave for companies that trust them more. (An American Psychological Association study showed that excessive workplace surveillance can increase employee turnover rates by up to 30%.)
In addition, digital surveillance done sloppily can lead to legal and ethical issues. Employees may feel their privacy is being violated—and may use excessive surveillance as a ground for grievances. If the surveillance bends or breaks any applicable laws or regulations, it could open up the employer to legal action.
Is Digital Surveillance Good Management?
In a word, no.
Digital surveillance is a form of micromanagement, and micromanagement is almost always really bad management. It’s a sign of distrust of and disrespect for one’s employees.
In essence, if you feel you must constantly monitor your employees’ activities and communications via the use of digital surveillance tools, you need to reevaluate your management skills—or, if those tools are mandated by upper management, your company’s policies. In most instances, little good can come from digital surveillance. Instead of watching every keystroke and mouse movement, good managers should instead invest in building a company culture where employees feel trusted, respected, and valued, and are thus encouraged to do their best work.
