Tuesday, June 25, 2013
by Gregory Lay, Heartily WorkingTM columnistIs that a workstation or a sound stage?
Should we assume that we?re
?on camera? every day?
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From: Unwilling Video Star
When I came to work here, I noticed video cameras in almost every room. I didn?t think too much about it, but now realize that they are being used in very intrusive ways to observe and document employee activities.
Two people were fired recently and told that their ?profile? showed that they wasted too much time. Another was put on probation because of ?documented proof of inappropriate touching.? I can?t argue with the conclusions. The people they fired were poor employees and the guy they put on probation should know better than to stroke the arm of a female colleague.
But the idea that everything we do is recorded and reviewed makes me nervous. Now, when I go to the restroom, I wonder if they?re watching and keeping track. Is video taping an ethical business practice? Is it even legal? We weren?t asked to sign a waiver.
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To: Video Star
Keep your hair combed and ?Smile! You?re on candid camera!? For some people, the camera adds ten pounds; for you, it sounds like the camera has added ten worry lines.
You ask if it?s ethical and legal for an organization to use technology to support its efforts to reduce or prevent pilferage, inefficiency, and harassment in order to make their property a safe environment for the majority of workers? Yes, it is.
It would be smart for the organization to have a written policy that spells out exactly when and where employees are subject to being recorded, who may monitor the recordings, and how corrective actions may be applied as a result of such recordings. You mentioned going to the restroom ? that?s out of bounds, of course. But any work area is fair, including the parking lot.
The choice to video tape activities is an admission that everything the organization would like to monitor can?t successfully be tracked by its management staff, so technology is being used to help management extend its powers of observation. The weakness is that video only shows visible behaviors, not actual results. That is, to the camera, a person taking a nap and a person solving a problem might look the same.
That said, let?s look at the question you didn?t ask, but is implied: ?How should employees behave when they know or suspect they?re on camera??
Pretty much the same way they act when the supervisor is watching ? which we hope is the same as when the supervisor is out of town. Just do the job.
Reality is that most recordings are stored for a while and then recorded over without ever being seen. Nobody has time to review them. The images aren?t used to look for people doing wrong; they are reviewed only as confirmation when there?s another reason to suspect a misdeed and recordings are needed as proof.
That is to say, if an employee doesn?t create suspicion, their recorded activities are boring and will be ignored, then taped over. If it hurts your ego to be ignored by the cameras, then make a habit of waving to them when you come in every morning.
Not just cameras
If you worry about being recorded, remember that cameras aren?t the only devices in the snooping arsenal. If your company really wants to know what you?re doing, it can get a much sharper picture of your day by monitoring your computer activities. When you work on a company-provided computer, linked into a company network, every word you type, every e-mail you send and receive, and every file you delete become part of your work record and can be screened for inappropriate behavior.
If you use a company cell phone, vehicle, or fax machine, they have that many more tools to track, diagnose, and ? as you put it in your note ? be ?intrusive.?
How should you act with all these technological tools potentially aimed in your direction? Exactly the way you want to be perceived by your employer, with or without spyware: on-time, loyal, honest, dedicated, productive, respectful, and looking sharp! Each of us is happiest when we just act like ourselves. The few who engage in unlawful or inappropriate activity call attention to themselves with results that make them targets of video analysis.
Video surveillance is part of the contemporary landscape and will become even more prevalent as the technology gets better, smaller, and cheaper. If you complain about cameras, it will only make the organization wonder why their presence matters so much to you. Let a camera hold no more interest than a smoke detector on the wall ? you know it?s there, but it doesn?t make any difference unless there?s a fire to detect.
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Memo from poet and journalist Will Carleton: ?I?ve watched my duty, straight and true, and tried to do it well; part of the time kept heaven in view, and part steered clear of hell.?
JobWise: Maintain old-fashioned card fileThere?s more personality in a business card than the fanciest scanner can dump into your computer.
If you have the advantage of not having to manually enter data into Outlook or whatever program you use to track your customers and contacts, you should use it. But it?s a worthwhile use of space to maintain a hard file of actual cards you?ve been given.
Cards are rich with photos, background art, slogans, visions, and ? sometimes printed on the back ? a condensed essay on how to understand this person. When you?re about to send an e-mail or place a phone call to one of those people, you?ll be able to make a stronger human connection if you take a moment to pull their card out of the file and review it.
Reading what they thought important enough to put on their calling card or smiling at their photo before sending your message may just be the human element that raises your communication above the mechanical masses and puts you in a better relationship with somebody that can help you. Not bad for a 2?x3½? piece of paper you were about to throw away.
© 2009 Heartily WorkingTM
Gregory Lay?s
Heartily WorkingTM responds to your questions about workplace concerns. Send your questions to Ask@HeartilyWorking.com.