Why “Big Brother” Surveillance Systems Fail

People don’t want to be watched…most of the time.

Photo by Matthew Henry on Unsplash

I just read this article about Barclays implementing an employee monitoring system that recorded when people left their desks and other behavior. Well, Barclays then shut down the program due to backlash from within the company.

It’s not always employees who fight back against monitoring systems. People often fight back against surveillance systems, and here’s why:

Tracking Systems Make People Uncomfortable

If I know I’m being watched, it’s likely that I’m going to behave differently. I will be less willing to take risks, even if I think the risks are worth taking. If people are constantly on edge, they will be more focused on not being flagged by these systems than getting their jobs done.

If I were to tell you that I was watching your every move…that would be creepy, and you would want me to stop watching you. People get defensive about surveillance, simply because it’s uncomfortable.

If The Same Monitoring Was Done By a Person, It Would Be Extremely Creepy and Awkward

Prior to automated surveillance systems, bosses were responsible for monitoring employees. Obviously these supervisors wouldn’t sit at employee’s desks watching over the employee’s shoulders and logging the time they spend away from their desk. Not only would that be uncomfortable, but it would also be a waste of the supervisor’s time.

What seems completely unreasonable when it’s a person becomes accepted and normalized when a computer is watching you.

Tracking People Instills Distrust

When tracking systems are in place and people are aware that they’re being watched, people begin to become suspicious of how they could be watched in other parts of their life. When tracking becomes widespread it breeds paranoia. Not only do people fear that they will be flagged, even if they are fulfilling their employer’s expectations, but they also begin to resent the surveillance.

Companies may begin to focus on the metrics collected from their surveillance systems rather than the metrics that actually matter to their business functions. Employee monitoring creates a rift between employees and the company.