Businesses must carefully balance confidentiality and employee monitoring when striving for the best results in customer service and company security. Many companies walk a tightrope between the two, as poor customer service costs the company clients and potential income while heavy-handed monitoring procedures may impact employee morale and even risk infringement of employee rights.
Most businesses record transactions between employees and customers in one form or another. Simple monitoring includes register checks and backups of receipts. More advanced techniques, such as filming areas of interaction or recording employee work on workplace computers are commonly employed in ...
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Businesses must carefully balance confidentiality and employee monitoring when striving for the best results in customer service and company security. Many companies walk a tightrope between the two, as poor customer service costs the company clients and potential income while heavy-handed monitoring procedures may impact employee morale and even risk infringement of employee rights.
Most businesses record transactions between employees and customers in one form or another. Simple monitoring includes register checks and backups of receipts. More advanced techniques, such as filming areas of interaction or recording employee work on workplace computers are commonly employed in sensitive locations where vital information changes hands. This could include Social Security Numbers, credit card information or confidential documents.
Some companies have crossed a line with employee freedom in the past, however. Areas where an employee could consider themselves entitled to protection from monitoring include company washrooms and some gathering areas. Company policies should clearly indicate if cell phone use or personal calls on company equipment may be monitored, or if personal communication devices are banned outright.
Balancing these two important factors continues to challenge even the best managers. Technology is constantly changing, and Business.com remains a great source for the latest information on confidentiality and employee monitoring.