WORKPLACE SURVEILLANCE

Work Place Surveillance in Organizations



Abstract

The paper focuses on the issues and areas concerning the workplace surveillance in organizations. The paper attempts to explore a number of concepts pertaining to monitoring and controlling of employees in the workplace. In addition, the main focus of this term paper is to emphasize on the practices of some organizations and their working culture in different parts of the world.

Workplace surveillance in Organizations

Introduction

Imagine being eight or more hours a day under the supervision of a "Big Brother", which can monitor all activities with the help of surveillance such as cameras, software that can monitor activities on computers, microphones and other devices. Unfortunately, it is not necessary to imagine, because that scenario already exists in a number of workplaces. Such workplaces end up looking like a concentration camp, where the administration governs the control and surveillance (Sneddon & Troianao, 2003).

Surveillance in the workplace can be a method of control and measurement of work performance, but is susceptible to becoming a tool that facilitates the violation of our fundamental rights. Normally, the employment relationship involves performing certain duties, such as meeting a defined schedule, activities during the working hours or not disclosing the company's activities. The employer can establish control mechanisms to give effect to that measurement, to ensure and measure the activity. However, that activity is disproportionate and often ends up serving the employer for purposes other than originally established. These tools serve the purpose of providing the employers private information pertaining to the employees (Walker, 1999). This can cause situations such as bullying, anti-union practices or finding ways to dismiss workers without compensation. It is essential to address these issues on a significant level, regarding the regulation of privacy and personal data. Fundamental rights cannot be waived in exchange for a contract. This requires the employer to explain to employees the means of monitoring and controlling, along with banning or invasive methods that are unrelated to the activities performed by people.

Findings

It is essential for the rest of the world, along with US, to address this issue in depth and with concern. However, in South America, there are glimmers of hope: recently, Chile reformed the labor process, which provides a procedure for protection of fundamental rights. One of the first decisions was precisely on surveillance in the workplace, and the trial judge decided to order compensation to the affected. The termination of the employee was due to information obtained illegally from her computer (NSW Young Lawyers, 2004).

Therefore, either through regulation of technology, legal actions, or basic work procedures, the significant thing is that the fundamental rights of employees should remain intact.

Electronic-point-of- sale surveillance

Electronic-point-of- sale surveillance is now more fully integrated across tills, cameras, and financial audit trails which check back on refunds or cancelled purchases. However, such smart functions can still be undertaken with combinations of surveillance technologies and 'workplace infiltration' by agents who engage as employees within the organization (Long, 1999).

In 2011, voice-recognition in retail distribution centers used rather basic vocabularies, ...