The Boss Is Watching
A company owned by a man called Dennis Gray suspected that his workers spent too much time during the workday tending to personal matters (Ante & Webber, 2013). After discovering a monitoring device which can be installed on the cell phones of his workers, he was able to track their location on a map and view where they were at what given time. This type of technology helped him keep his workers in-check during the day and it allowed for more efficiency during the day. Technology and recent innovations have helped employers keep their workers on the short-leash. In order for them to know what they are doing during the day, many employers have taken extreme measures to make sure that work is being done in the office or in the workplace.
There are positive and negative issues with this new found innovation. Of course, there is an issue of privacy and the violation of it towards the workers. However, there is no federal law that states it is illegal for employers to know where their employees are during the work day (Ante & Webber, 2013). Therefore, these devices are actually legal and they do not violate any existing laws, unless of course they are abused and are used for non-work related matters. This can happen when an employee chooses to “watch” an employee during off-hours or for reasons that can harm the employee.
This type of device which can allow employee monitoring can create a tighter and more efficient working environment. Of course many workers will feel as if this kind of treatment is immoral, those who are doing their work right should have nothing to worry about. A device like this is only the stepping stone to future innovations that can improve the working environment and create a more efficient space where employees are able to complete their given tasks in the soonest possible time.
References
Ante, S.E. & Webber, L. (2013). “Memo To Employees: The Boss Is Watching”. The WallStreet
