Archive

Nothing Personal

By Staff Report

May. 1, 1996

Not surprisingly, emotions and opinions run high when it comes to employer monitoring practices. Employers generally agree on the basic premises for such oversight activity. Here are the percentages of respondents concurring with the following statements:


EMPLOYEE FAIR MONITORING PRACTICE

GENERAL PUBLIC

EMPLOYEES

UNION MEMBERS

Procedures for listening-in and standards used to evaluate employee call handling should be fully explained to employees.

89%

93%

92%

Employees should be told when they are hired for these jobs that supervisors will sometimes listen-in on business calls, so that employees can agree or not agree to work under these procedures.

88%

92%

95%

Employees whose performance is criticized should have access to any notes or recordings maid of their calls, and given the opportunity to challenge the supervisor’s evaluation.

86%

90%

96%

Problems with employee performance found from listening-in should lead to additional employee training, and only when performance fails to improve should disciplinary action be taken.

82%

87%

90%

Listening-in should be done only on business calls, with separate and unmonitored telephone facilities for employees to make personal calls.

73%

78%

83%

Management should involve employees in setting up standards and procedures for listening-in on business calls.

73%

77%

84%

SOURCE: Privacy & American Business/ Harris Survey, 1994.


Personnel Journal, May 1996, Vol. 75, No. 5, p. 76.


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