Monitoring your teams: why transparency is key

“We once found someone watching four hours of Netflix a night over our network.” 

Andrew Stephenson CMgr FCMI, chief people officer at Equiniti, a financial services company, is reflecting on his organisation’s use of technology to monitor employee activity online. 

“I took the view that if they were working away at our request, that was fine,” says Andrew.

CMI research released in September, which was picked up by The Guardian, found that a third of UK employers are using tools to track their employees’ activities online, including monitoring emails and web browsing and recording or reviewing screen activity. Over half of managers (53%) supported such oversight on employer-owned devices, largely because it protects the organisation’s reputation and digital infrastructure, helps employers to ensure compliance with regulatory obligations or helps keep people productive and accountable.

All of which makes sense given the pressures of reputation and productivity that organisations are now under. As Andrew says, his management team were “less relaxed about the person watching the test match simultaneously to an important training session”.

“It’s important employers are open”

But if you’re interested in the productivity gains promised by employee activity-monitoring tools, their use requires openness and care, otherwise their adoption could be considered snooping and raise privacy issues.

“Implementing online surveillance is the organisation’s decision, but fostering an environment where employees feel trusted and respected is essential for maximising productivity,” says Petra Wilton, CMI’s director of policy and external affairs. “Effective management depends on trust, fairness and confidence. If online monitoring is used, organisations should be transparent and openly communicate what is being tracked and the reasons behind it.”

As well as telling people what you’re tracking and why, you should also give people access to their own data.

“We're totally transparent about it with everyone,” Andrew adds. “That's key.”