Monitoring is to some extent a routine part of the employer/employee relationship. Most employers make some checks on the quantity and quality of work produced by their staff, and employees will generally expect this.
Some employers carry out monitoring to safeguard workers, as well as to protect their own interests or those of their customers. For example, monitoring may help ensure that workers in hazardous jobs aren’t at risk from unsafe working practices, or in some financial services, employers have legal or regulatory obligations, which they can only fulfil by using some monitoring.
However, everyone has the right to some degree of privacy in the workplace and the law does set some limits on monitoring activities. Some of the more controversial forms of monitoring at work include opening and reading staff’s emails, monitoring internet use, listening in on telephone calls and CCTV or video surveillance.
As a general rule, where employers intend to monitor the activities of staff they should consult with trade unions or staff and inform them of the monitoring arrangements they plan to introduce. They should also be clear that those arrangements are necessary and that there are no less intrusive alternatives.
Monitoring must be done in a way that is both lawful and fair to staff. Excessive and unjustified monitoring is likely to be a breach of data protection laws. For more information on this, and a helpful guide for employers, you can visit the website of the Government Information Commissioner at www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
