[July 28, 2008] Biz (off)beat: Being watched may curb good work Tweet (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 27--Big Brother -- that is, the big boss -- just might be watching you, reading your e-mails and even monitoring how many times you use your electronic key to enter and leave the office. A large percentage of employers use multiple monitoring devices, according to research by Kurt Dirks of Washington University in St. Louis. And though keeping an eye on employees' and their activities is meant to increase productivity, he has found that it doesn't do much for worker morale. Dirks, a professor of organizational behavior, says companies that monitor employees closely are taking a risk. It causes some people to merely go through the motions, he said, and can impair the quality and quantity of their work. "In many situations, what you often need from employees is the willingness to adapt to the situation and go beyond what you specifically ask of them," Dirks said. "As a consequence, while employees might not purposefully act negatively, they might withhold positive behavior, such as taking initiative." He said 40 percent to 60 percent of companies monitor employee e-mail, and many keep track of the comings and goings of employees who use electronic keys. "There's a reason companies do this," he said. "There's concern about sensitive information getting out that might have high value. But being monitored can cause employees to lose trust, make them too careful and harm productivity." Monitoring can also encourage employees to jockey for position, he said, which can lead to nonproductive behaviors, such as not sharing information with colleagues. To see more of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.ajc.com. Copyright (c) 2008, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]