What you need to know:
- Have you ever been spied on at work?
- Do you think it is all right for employers to spy on their employees?
Employers have always found ways to keep an eye on their workers and now with technological advancement, they are using sophisticated devices to keep track of their employees. How ethical is it to ‘spy’ on workers? Gulf News readers debate
Unethical
Increase productivity using other means
I believe that spying on employees is extremely unethical since it violates the privacy of an individual. As an employee it is very concerning for me, and I am dismayed by the fact that my employer might be keeping tabs on me while I am in or out of the office.
Technological devices have for a fact aggravated such practices and have certainly provided employers with more means to monitor their employees. Personally, privacy is a big concern for me so the possibility that my employer might be spying on me via my cell phone or laptop is worrying.
It is my opinion that hard work should be encouraged and incentivised by employers, not forced. Especially in today’s day and age where the ideas such as ‘working from home’ and flexible office hours are getting popular.
It is my opinion that hard work should be encouraged and incentivised by employers, not forced. Especially in today’s day and age where the ideas such as ‘working from home’ and flexible office hours are getting popular.
Also, if your employer is spying on you, it shows that they do not trust you, this can be extremely demotivating for employees. I believe that employers should provide their employees with the freedom to work at their own pace.
However, it is the responsibility of the employee to deliver what is expected of them and meet their deadlines.
From Mr Hashim Noor
Computer programmer based in Dubai
Violation of privacy
Companies shouldn’t have the right to do it
It is unethical for employers to spy on their employees. It is not only a violation of privacy but also might give advantage against a person that might be used for blackmailing or retaliation. The acquired information and the employer’s awareness that they can always find out more may make them delusional about how well they actually understand the employee and remove almost all of the person’s boundaries.
With the current advancements in technology, spying is very easy and it is done on a day-to-day basis. Not only that, we make it easy to spy on us by leaving the information about our life on the internet for everyone to see. All it takes is one Google search to find out more about your target. Unfortunately, spying has been a common practice for a long time, not just by employers, but also by industries and other entities. If we assume that this is a necessary evil, then we still need to consider that it can only be done by someone with the legal power to do so, which excludes any business or any manager.
From Mr German Shein
Application developer based in Dubai.
Effective measure
It is part of technological progress
I personally think that keeping tracking of some of the activities an employee does can be effective. While some may think that it’s unethical, I believe that some employees take advantage of their managers being in the dark and slack off work and not work their best because they think no one is watching them. This especially affects those with flexible deadlines.
I believe that some employees take advantage of their managers being in the dark and slack off work and not work their best because they think no one is watching them. This especially affects those with flexible deadlines.
Truth is that spying has always existed in companies but not in the same ways as now like through social media posts, company laptops and other devices. It has just become more sophisticated over time and technology has been integrated into the process, just like the evolution of most things. As the world evolves, ways are being developed to hold people accountable for what they are supposed to be doing and this is an example of that.
A company for example can track the health of an employee through a fitness device and note if they can potentially be a liability for the business. Having an employee with bad health may result in them taking many days off and not working according to the standard of the company.
From Ms Raya Khalid
Sales professional based in Dubai
Poll results
Is it ethical for employers to spy on their workers during working hours?
Yes: 23%
No: 77%
Have your say: Can spying on employees be justified by increased productivity?
