In this article, in the East Bay Express, nurses object to management’s potential for monitoring their every move. There’s some huffing and puffing on both sides but I think the nurses have a valid point.
Where are we going with this kind of stuff? Down another “slippery slope”?
Documentation and SOP’s (no electronic monitoring, Yet) interfere with my work. Many lower-level managers know this, but won’t “rock the boat”.
Management love’s to “know”, and I think they’ll weasel their way into using this technology to accomplish that goal.
Peace,
mangeorge
I agree with the nurses in this particular situation: the intercom/locator function of the system was a fine idea. The computer record of who went where and when and the ability to listen in on what a tag-wearer was saying without her knowledge, well, those concepts are from hell.
Whether the current and stated intent of all of these surveillance schemes is reasonable is irrelevant. Wherever there is potential for misuse, that misuse will eventually occur. As it stands now, (as noted in the article) we are now tracked everywhere from the freeways to the grocery store. But if employers cannot trust employees to do their jobs appropriately without logging their keystrokes or monitoring their phone calls (especially in non-call center positions) then they ought not hire those people.
This paragraph is very telling;
Notice the reference to the patient (customer, client, stockholder, etc.). Management always uses this as their ultimate justification for abusive policies toward employees.