Workplace Monitoring and Virtual Offices: Balancing Efficiency and Flexibility

1. Businesses and their employees 11 April

2. Workplace Monitoring Employers survey, track, or record all or certain aspects of employee’s behavior or performance

3. Electronic Monitoring Behavior Performance • Surveillance cameras • Electronic badges • Computer activity • Web sites visited • Applications run • Capturing key strokes • Communications

4. Labor is Purchased • Employees provide services to employers • Pay only for services realized • Workers are paid according to their value to the organization • Monitoring can measure efficiency • 64% of employees admit to performing “personal” work, preventing is proven to increase efficiency • March Madness…

5. Performance • Can’t measure everything objectively • People begin to be treated like numbers • Ability to make improvements • But intangible improvements • Market knowledge • Hot issues

6. Problems Areas • What defines unproductivity? • Woman with medical condition • What is considered work appropriate? • Angry e-mail written but not sent

7. VIRTUAL OFFICES Worksite outside of the traditional office in which people do work associated with traditional office

8. Kinds of Virtual Offices • Home Office: space designated for work • Mobile Office: vehicle or travel • Hoteling: small shared space that is reserved

9. Technology • Basic Components • Telephone, Laptop, Internet Connection, Scanner/Fax • Instant Messaging • VoIP • Teleconferencing/Videoconferencing • Telepresence • Software • Virtual Worlds

10. Impacts Benefits Drawbacks • Flexible Schedule • Reduced commuting: time, cost, environment • Fewer closings • Less work/life conflict • Increases workforce • Overwork: no stopping • Technology dependence • Loss of socialization • Loss of separate identity • Security