Employees okay with digital monitoring programs, if they're transparent
Employees understand the need for digital monitoring, just don't hide it from them--70 percent would consider quitting if they learned about such practices after the fact.
Amid all the worries about loss of privacy and digital surveillance, a Harris poll commissioned by Dtex Systems indicates that employees find digital monitoring programs acceptable if they meet certain conditions.
According to the poll, which Dtex says was commissioned in response to the growing concerns over data collection and monitoring, including Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica revelations, employees aren’t totally opposed to digital monitoring by their bosses.
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In fact, results indicate that 64 percent of Americans “somewhat to strongly agree” with employers’ right to monitor employees’ digital activities on devices used to conduct work, though they believe employers should be transparent about it.
But that’s a major condition, since 71 percent say they wouldn’t accept a job with an employer that conducts such monitoring without being up front about it. In fact, 70 percent said they’d consider quitting if they learned after the fact that that was the case. They understand that certain levels of security are necessary to protect not only the business itself, but their own private data as well—but that doesn’t mean they’re okay with working under constant surveillance.
“This survey shows that Americans understand the situation and expect their employers to maintain a level of security that protects them and their jobs,” says Christy Wyatt, CEO, Dtex Systems in a statement, adding, “It also shows that Americans who expect to have their privacy protected will reject legacy monitoring technologies that record their every keystroke and record everything they do.”
Key takeaways from the study, says Dtex in the report, indicate that employers can put effective cybersecurity in place that increases visibility and reduces insider threat risk while still respecting employee privacy—and still gain employee support. But employers should also anonymize data, only monitor activities to cut security risks, and not eavesdrop—nor should they review and analyze collected data until after a security threat has been found.
While 45 percent of Americans believe it is sometimes, often or always acceptable for employers to monitor employees’ digital activities to protect against security threats and data breaches, according to the survey results, 64 percent “somewhat to strongly” agree that employers have the right to monitor, for security purposes, employees’ digital activities on devices used for work—as long as they don’t hide the fact and tell employees up front that they’re doing so.
While 62 percent of employed Americans said they’d be comfortable with work-issued devices being monitored for security purposes and activity data was anonymized—only examined in case of detection of suspicious or threatening behaviors, just 36 percent feel the same about employer monitoring on personal devices.