Do you ever feel like someone is watching you? If you were an employee working in an office, you could trust your instincts. Many businesses are implementing tracking tech – employee tracking tools that monitor indicators like employee office use or productivity.
In our increasingly data-driven world, business owners want to leverage this information. Knowing when and how people work lays a foundation for improvement and streamlining your operation. While that may sound like something your business could leverage, it’s important to note that tracking also has privacy advocates expressing some concerns about the ethics and security of personal data collection.
How Are Companies Tracking Their Workers?
Companies are implementing various tools to track employees, citing safety, productivity, and design optimization as reasons. Previous monitoring software on employee computers monitored their websites so that managers could address distractions. Today’s tracking tech in offices goes beyond just keeping employees from accessing inappropriate material at work, though.
Are you aware that companies have started implementing employee monitoring sensors on furniture and doorways to track their comings and goings? Theoretically, motion and desk sensors provide a picture of how your employees use your office space, from traffic patterns to time spent in communal spaces.
Might monitoring an individual’s movements raise questions about how they spend their time? Proponents of tracking tech and AI-based monitoring tools argue that the data they collect can improve the working environment and spur changes that help people work smarter.
From a security standpoint, Wi-Fi tracking and network monitoring tools allow your IT department to better guard against insider risks. For example, behavioral profiling and tracking tools can identify signs of unusual behavior, such as:
- Printing sensitive files
- Downloading large numbers of files
- Logging on at odd hours
However, tracking employee movements inside your building can dredge up real privacy concerns.
What About Employee Privacy?
Although companies are responsible for protecting sensitive information, and tracking tech is a key element of that, information that’s detrimental to employees can be dangerous. Let’s say your business implements a tracking system to monitor employee communications for signs of illicit or risky behavior. Those AI-based monitoring tools might watch for language indicating:
- Issues in employees’ personal lives
- Signs that they plan to leave the company
- Whistleblowing
- Union activities
- Problematic workplace relationships
- Negative perceptions of the company
As an employer, you might undertake behavioral profiling, correctly or otherwise, which may lead to disciplinary action, demotion, or even firing someone. If sensors are thrown in, employees will have major concerns. Shouldn’t good business ethics separate work and personal matters and preserve an environment that treats people with dignity?
Watch for Changes to Tracking Rules
Government leaders appear concerned about their privacy and the proliferation of tracking tech. Will future legislation require employers to disclose whether they use AI-powered surveillance and how they use the data?
Provisions may include prohibitions on off-hours tracking, sensitive locations, and data collection restrictions. Is your business ready?
