Skip to main content

Remote Workers’ Perceptions on Employee Monitoring

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
HCI International 2022 - Late Breaking Papers. Design, User Experience and Interaction (HCII 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 13516))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 1937 Accesses

Abstract

With the prevalence of working from home, more and more organizations are adopting monitoring methods to keep track of their employees’ work activities electronically. Understanding how employees respond to various monitoring methods and what factors affect their attitudes and perceptions towards monitoring is important to maintain a healthy employee-employer relationship and productivity in workplaces. To explore employees’ perceptions, concerns, attitudes and knowledge of commonly used monitoring methods, we conducted an online survey with 197 remote workers. We found that the use of cameras, microphones and screen recorders were among the most disapproved monitoring methods that would cause participants to refuse a job offer, promotion or even quit their current job. Our qualitative findings indicated that the most commonly cited reasons behind their disapproval were concerns about invasion of privacy and safety. Participants were found to be more opposed to remote monitoring than monitoring at office/location. We also identified factors influencing employee satisfaction, employee loyalty, faith in intentions of management, intention to disclose, trust in employers, and openness to employer monitoring. Implications of our findings towards better monitoring practices are also discussed in the paper.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Acquisti, A., et al.: Nudges for privacy and security: Understanding and assisting users’ choices online. ACM Comput. Surv. 50(3), 1–41 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Aiello, J.R., Svec, C.M.: Computer monitoring of work performance: extending the social facilitation framework to electronic presence 1. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 23(7), 537–548 (1993)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Alder, G.S.: Employee reactions to electronic performance monitoring: a consequence of organizational culture. J. High Technol. Manag. Res. 12(2), 323–342 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Barbuto, A., Gilliland, A., Peebles, R., Rossi, N., Shrout, T.: Telecommuting: Smarter Workplaces (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Brett, A.: The effects of low trust in the workplace (2015). https://cutt.ly/RHLM2SJ

  6. Brooks, D.C.: EDUCAUSE QuickPoll Results: Privacy and the Remote Workforce (2021). https://er.educause.edu/blogs/2021/2/educause-quickpoll-results-privacy-and-the-remote-workforce

  7. Clearinghouse, P.R.: Workplace Privacy and Employee Monitoring (2019). https://cutt.ly/4HL1JGu

  8. Cohen, P., Hsu, T.: Rolling Shock’ as Job Losses Mount Even With Reopenings (2020). https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/business/economy/coronavirus-unemployment-claims.html

  9. Cole-Laramore, A., et al.: Trust and technology in the virtual organization. In: SAM, vol. 67, pp. 22–25 (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cook, J., Wall, T.: New work attitude measures of trust, organizational commitment and personal need non-fulfilment. J. Occupat. Psychol. 53(1), 39–52 (1980)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Emami-Naeini, P., Francisco, T., Kohno, T., Roesner, F.: Understanding privacy attitudes and concerns towards remote communications during the covid-19 pandemic. In: Seventeenth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS 2021), pp. 695–714. USENIX Association (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Freelon, D.: Recal oir: ordinal, interval, and ratio intercoder reliability as a web service. Int. J. Internet Sci. 8(1) (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Galanxhi, H., Nah, F.F.-H.: Addressing the “Unseens”: digital wellbeing in the remote workplace. In: Nah, F.F.-H., Siau, K. (eds.) HCII 2021. LNCS, vol. 12783, pp. 347–364. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77750-0_22

  14. George, J.F.: Computer-based monitoring: common perceptions and empirical results. MIS Quart. 459–480 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Gliem, J.A., Gliem, R.R.: Calculating, interpreting, and reporting Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for likert-type scales. In: Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Eduction. Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Eduction (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Haag, C.D.: Instructor’s manual to accompany: management information systems for the information age (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Hill, S.: Employers are spying on remote workers in their homes (2020). https://cutt.ly/BHLN5op

  18. Hodson, T.J., Englander, F., Englander, V.: Ethical, legal and economic aspects of employer monitoring of employee electronic mail. J. Bus. Ethics 19(1), 99–108 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Holland, P.J., Cooper, B., Hecker, R.: Electronic monitoring and surveillance in the workplace: the effects on trust in management, and the moderating role of occupational type. Person. Rev. (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Holmes, A.: Employees at home are being photographed every 5 minutes by an always-on video service to ensure they’re actually working (2020). https://cutt.ly/IHLMo84

  21. Homburg, C., Stock, R.M.: Exploring the conditions under which salesperson work satisfaction can lead to customer satisfaction. Psychol. Market. 22(5), 393–420 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Jagannathan, M.: Like “punching a time clock through your webcam”: how employers are keeping tabs on remote workers during the pandemic (2020). https://cutt.ly/EHLMQFi

  23. Jandl, C., Taurer, F., Hartner-Tiefenthaler, M., Wagner, M., Moser, T., Schlund, S.: Perceptions of using tracking and tracing systems in work environments. In: Nah, F.F.-H., Siau, K. (eds.) HCII 2021. LNCS, vol. 12783, pp. 384–398. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77750-0_24

  24. Jeske, D.: Monitoring remote employees: implications for hr. Strategic HR Review (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Kalischko, T., Riedl, R.: Electronic performance monitoring in the digital workplace: conceptualization, review of effects and moderators, and future research opportunities. Front. Psychol. 12 (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Kitkowska, A., Warner, M., Shulman, Y., Wästlund, E., Martucci, L.A.: Enhancing privacy through the visual design of privacy notices: exploring the interplay of curiosity, control and affect. In: Sixteenth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS 2020), pp. 437–456. USENIX Association (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  27. Krippendorff, K.: Testing the reliability of content analysis data. The Content Analysis Reader, pp. 350–357 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Kropp, B.: The Future of Employee Monitoring (2019). https://cutt.ly/yHLNBLx

  29. Latto, A.: Managing risk from within: monitoring employees the right way. Risk Manag. 54(4), 30 (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Lavelle, J.: Gartner CFO Survey Reveals 74% Intend to Shift Some Employees to Remote Work Permanently (2020). https://cutt.ly/hHLNKfj

  31. Lee, S., Kleiner, B.H.: Electronic surveillance in the workplace. Manag. Res. News (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Malhotra, N.K., Kim, S.S., Agarwal, J.: Internet users’ information privacy concerns (IUIPC): the construct, the scale, and a causal model. Inf. Syst. Res. 15(4), 336–355 (2004)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Marinova, I.: 28 Need-To-Know Remote Work Statistics of 2021 (2021). https://review42.com/resources/remote-work-statistics/

  34. Matzler, K., Renzl, B.: The relationship between interpersonal trust, employee satisfaction, and employee loyalty. Total Quality Manag. Bus. Excellence 17(10), 1261–1271 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. McNall, L.A., Roch, S.G.: Effects of electronic monitoring types on perceptions of procedural justice, interpersonal justice, and privacy 1. J. Appl. Soc. Psychol. 37(3), 658–682 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. McNall, L.A., Roch, S.G.: A social exchange model of employee reactions to electronic performance monitoring. Human Perform. 22(3), 204–224 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Migliano, S.: Employee Surveillance Software Demand up 58% Since Pandemic Started (2020). https://cutt.ly/xHLmaok

  38. Miles, M.B., Huberman, A.M.: Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. SAGE (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  39. Moorman, R.H., Wells, D.L.: Can electronic performance monitoring be fair? Exploring relationships among monitoring characteristics, perceived fairness, and job performance. J. Leadership Organ. Stud. 10(2), 2–16 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Nagy, A.: Business Wire: Productivity Has Increased, Led By Remote Workers (2020). https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200519005295/en/

  41. Nurse, J.R. C., Williams, N., Collins, E., Panteli, N., Blythe, J., Koppelman, B.: Remote working pre- and post-COVID-19: an analysis of new threats and risks to security and privacy. In: Stephanidis, C., Antona, M., Ntoa, S. (eds.) HCII 2021. CCIS, vol. 1421, pp. 583–590. Springer, Cham (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78645-8_74

  42. Obada-Obieh, B., Huang, Y., Beznosov, K.: Challenges and threats of mass telecommuting: a qualitative study of workers. In: Seventeenth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS 2021), pp. 675–694. USENIX Association (2021)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Palan, S., Schitter, C.: Prolific. ac-a subject pool for online experiments. J. Behav. Exp. Financ. 17, 22–27 (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Ravid, D.M., Tomczak, D.L., White, J.C., Behrend, T.S.: EPM 20/20: a review, framework, and research agenda for electronic performance monitoring. J. Manag. 46(1), 100–126 (2020)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Schawbel, D.: How Covid-19 has Accelerated the Use of Employee Monitoring (2020). https://cutt.ly/9HLNIsa

  46. Schumacher, S.: What employees should know about electronic performance monitoring. ESSAI 8(1), 38 (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  47. Smith, T.: Monitoring employee e-mails: is there any room for privacy? Acad. Manag. Perspect. 23, 33–48 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Stanton, J.M.: Reactions to employee performance monitoring: framework, review, and research directions. Human Perform. 13(1), 85–113 (2000)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  49. Stanton, J.M., Barnes-Farrell, J.L.: Effects of electronic performance monitoring on personal control, task satisfaction, and task performance. J. Appl. Psychol. 81(6), 738 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Stanton, J.M., Sarkar-Barney, S.T.: A detailed analysis of task performance with and without computer monitoring. Int. J. Human Comput. Interact. 16(2), 345–366 (2003)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Stevens, J.P.: Applied multivariate statistics for the social sciences. Routledge (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  52. Tabak, F., Smith, W.P.: Privacy and electronic monitoring in the workplace: a model of managerial cognition and relational trust development. Employee Respons. Rights J. 17(3), 173–189 (2005)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Wells, D.L., Moorman, R.H., Werner, J.M.: The impact of the perceived purpose of electronic performance monitoring on an array of attitudinal variables. Human Resour. Develop. Quart. 18(1), 121–138 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Central Connecticut State University Faculty & Student Research Grant (No. AFALZP).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yusuf Albayram .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Albayram, Y., DeWald, R., Althen, J. (2022). Remote Workers’ Perceptions on Employee Monitoring. In: Kurosu, M., et al. HCI International 2022 - Late Breaking Papers. Design, User Experience and Interaction. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13516. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17615-9_25

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17615-9_25

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-17614-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-17615-9

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy