How to Respect Employee Privacy While Using Monitoring Software

Not too long ago, employee monitoring wasn’t really a big thing. Sure there were punch card systems and time tracking tools – but neither of those hold a candle to employee monitoring that can monitor all employee activity including app and web usage, emails, IM messages, keystrokes, and more.

Because of how potent monitoring software is, many employees often feel like their privacy isn’t being respected and they’re being ‘spied on’. That in turn affects their motivation, engagement, and satisfaction levels – which can affect stress, productivity, and turnover rates.

To put it simply, it is important that you avoid that and do what you can to respect the privacy of your employees. Here are some of the best ways to do that:

Let employees know they’re being monitored

Although Controlio can be installed and set to run invisibly in the background, it is best that you don’t use it this way. Instead, be upfront and open about the fact that it is being used so that your employees don’t feel like you’re spying on them surreptitiously.

Don’t collect data that isn’t required

The features in Controlio allow you to collect a ton of data, including some that can be personal by monitoring emails, capturing keystrokes, or taking screenshots and screen recordings. As a rule however, you should only collect the data that you need – no more, no less.

Have a clear monitoring policy

Creating a monitoring policy that provides details on what data will be collected and why it is necessary can go a long way towards assuaging some of the concerns your employees may have.

Consult your employees beforehand

Try to meet with your employees and consult them before implementing employee monitoring. Explain the policy itself, and address any feedback or concerns they may have.

Get employee consent

In some jurisdictions employee consent is required – but in others it isn’t. Regardless it is a good measure to take, and will give your employees some agency.

Make sure the data is secure

Because you’re going to be collecting private data, it is important you make sure it is secure. In Controlio that isn’t too much of a concern due to its security features that include encryption, 2-factor authentication, brute force protection, blacklists, and more.

Avoid measures that are too restrictive

Many employee monitoring software will give you the means to block certain actions. The features in Controlio will let you block websites, apps, and so on – and even set up a variety of other custom rules. However being too restrictive will be seen as encroaching on employee privacy – so it is best to avoid it unless absolutely necessary.

Let employees view their own data

One way to reassure employees that you’re not violating their privacy is to let them access their own data. This can be set up fairly easy with Controlio, either by giving employees limited access to the dashboard and analytics, or by setting it up to send them reports at fixed intervals.

Make no mistake, employee monitoring software does raise privacy and ethical concerns – but it is worth it. The benefits it provides in terms of improving productivity, boosting security, and optimizing business processes makes it worth the hassle of dealing with any issues that may arise.

As long as you follow the steps listed above, you should be able to avoid most of the major issues involving privacy.  By adopting an open, transparent, and clear attitude that puts the privacy of your employees front and center – you’re more likely to be able to monitor your employees without being too intrusive.

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