In today's corporate world more and more problems concerning ethical behaviors have come up to the surface. We have seen examples of unethical behavior through different corporate crisis with Enron or WorldCom, which have enlightened the mass public, employers and employees about what can be happening within a company such as employee's theft, corporate espionage, etc.
Surveillance technology answers the problem of employee theft, of employee effectiveness and performance.
Video cameras, hidden microphones, restricted access to the Internet and computer technologies are the means given to a company in order to "look after" their employees.
However one should not underestimate the consequences of such installations.
Indeed, surveillance technologies can create a feeling of discomfort to employees and tensions between workers. But the most dangerous aspect that could be caused by surveillance is the bad work environment, which induces reduced performances. .
If employees do not feel trusted by their peers, it becomes very difficult to create strong stable work relationship. The mistrust between employer/employee does not facilitate the communication of crucial information. Worrying about how he might be perceived, the employee can spend more time "looking busy and effective" rather than concentrating fully on the task at hand. .
Also too much surveillance can make the employee feel pressured and even sometimes harassed. Harassment is a fashionable issue nowadays, which must be taken into consideration by employers when installing a surveillance system. Being sued for harassment can make the employer lose a substantial amount of money.
I can take as an example my personal experience. I completed two internships and I experiences strong surveillance and non-existent surveillance. .
In the first case strong surveillance made me feel uncomfortable in my workplace. Wanting to do everything as fast as possible caused me to make some mistakes, for which I was reprimanded.