More and more jobs involve working with computers. Monitoring employees’ movements on the internet is common in most serious businesses for several reasons. You are not supposed to be surfing or chatting for personal reasons during work hours. What’s more important, the employer wants to make sure that you don’t bring the company down with you if you are caught doing illegal transactions on the internet. I find this perfectly reasonable and don’t consider it an intrusion on privacy.
Monitoring employees through their cell phones is another matter though. Employers are no saints. Of course they would want to amuse themselves by checking up on your movements after work if they had an opportunity to do so. If your company cell phone has been installed with GPS technology that can track your whereabouts, leave the phone at work! You might even find it relaxing for other reasons. But if you are a rising star, moving up the career ladder and want to be available at all hours, by all means – bring the phone, but stay out of fishy places!
Other means of monitoring, like cameras in public places, are more difficult to influence or even to avoid for that matter. To most of us they don’t pose a threat though, at least not in Sweden. Rather they represent security as they are supposed not only to reveal criminal actions but to prevent them from happening in the first place. There is always a risk that technology is being misused, but as with so many other necessary evils, I would say that the advantages outweigh any disadvantages.
With all the monitoring surrounding us, it is a great relief to know that the most important aspect of privacy can’t be taken from us, and that is our thoughts. At least mind reading hasn’t been invented – yet!
Your reflections and thoughts on the article are completely right in my opinion. Employees should not do anything other than their jobs at work, monitoring during working hours makes sure that employees don't waste their time.
ReplyDeleteAbout the GPS technology, I share your thoughts, leave the phone at work, it's the easiest thing to do. Although, I also think that employers should trust their employees, it is not necessary to track employees threw their cellphones.
I agree that surveillance in public places is necessary, it improves the security and safety. A great help fort the police to solve crimes.
The structure of the text makes it easy to follow your thoughts and reflections. I can agree that some monitoring is necessary for a business to work properly and therefore aren’t an invasion of an employees privacy. I also agree that you don’t have to bring your work phone with you everywhere. I think as you mention that you have to weight the advantages against the disadvantages with control systems.
ReplyDelete