Privacy at Work?
I received this question from a reader recently:
“The head of the company I work for is constantly bringing attention to trust in the workplace— characteristics of it, how teams build trust, etc. However, I happen to know that there is snoopware on the network and that only one other manager knows about it, let alone any of the rest of the staff.
This manager is constantly checking what people are working on, and reporting the “goof-offs” to the boss. I only found out because I probed. This leaves a really bad taste in my mouth, especially since I am the one who does all the in-house training. It seems hypocritical to facilitate “trust building in the teams” within this corporate lack of trust.
I used to run a small company and in the ’90s our legal advisors told us we needed to inform employees about this sort of thing, or we were invading their right to privacy. Have things changed so much since then? Is this typical in today’s corporate climate?”
Good questions.
So, do companies have the right to watch what you do without you knowing?
Legally, I believe they do. However, should companies be watching employees? As my reader pointed out, how does this build trust?
My answer to this is simple.
There are a thousands things to distract us from our work, personal phone calls and the internet being the top two. I agree with my reader, that companies need to trust their employees. I am not talking about blind trust, rather trust, knowing that not everyone will always be prudent with their use of the internet, etc.
As managers, we are not babysitters. If we can’t trust that our employees are doing a good job then we probably do not have the right people for the job.
Comment by Vince
I wholeheartedly agree with your answer. To add to it a little, I think some latitude for “goofing off” can be allowed. I manage one of the most productive teams in my company. They have a tremendous amount of responsibility, they are constantly fighting fires and the have high objectives. So, I don’t make a big deal about walking into their area and finding them watching the occasional YouTube video or making a personal phone call. They have yet to abuse the privilege or suffer in their productivity. I honestly believe that they work better for me than their previous managers who micromanaged each moment of their day and didn’t allow for any of these little diversions to lower their stress levels or relax their minds. A little trust goes a long way. Treating your employees like adults creates a great team in a great environment.
Comment by CheezWeezil
I agree with BB and Vince. A fast road to a heart attack is not having and second to breath in the constant barrage of stress that the workplace provides. My boss has loosened up on me a lot lately, and I feel like I am even more productive because of it. I know what needs to be done, and I do it.