Big IT Brother (Part 2)

Michael R. Wood is a Business Process Improvement & IT Strategist Independent Consultant. He is creator of the business process-improvement methodology called HELIX and founder of The Natural Intelligence Group, a strategy, process improvement and technology consulting company. He is also a CPA, has served as an Adjunct Professor in Pepperdine's Management MBA program, an Associate Professor at California Lutheran University, and on the boards of numerous professional organizations. Mr. Wood is a sought after presenter of HELIX workshops and seminars in both the U.S. and Europe.

 

In part one of this series, the basic arguments for and against workplace monitoring of employees was presented. While the debate seems to be divided along the lines of legal rights and protection versus philosophical and ethics, it is clear that the trend is toward increased monitoring of employee e-mail and Internet usage while at work.

Part 2 of this article will focus on deployment of monitoring policies, processes and procedures. In addition, it will provide a short checklist of features to look for when selecting electronic monitoring software.

Planning and Deployment

Electronic monitoring is more than just implementing a software application and turning it on. The choice to electronically monitor employee e-mails and Internet activities needs to be a driven by top management. There are delicate issues of trust and loyalty that need to be addressed in order to preserve the culture of the organization.

One approach to the planning and deployment of electronic monitoring is to engage the workforce in the effort. By allowing employees to contribute their ideas, voice their concerns and hopefully shape the policies and practices related to monitoring unintended consequences can be minimized.

It may be appropriate to establish an HR-led cross functional task force to spearhead the initiative. The task force could be …

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