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Conference turris::womannotes-v3

Title:	Topics of Interest to Women
Notice:	V3 is closed. TURRIS::WOMANNOTES-V5 is open.
Moderator:	REGENT::BROOMHEAD

Created:	Thu Jan 30 1986
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 30 1995
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1078
Total number of notes:	52352

281.0. "Electronic surveillance of employees" by HPSRAD::SUNDAR (Ganesh) Thu Aug 09 1990 13:13

    The latest issue of Harper's magazine carries a center-page
    example of "electronic surveillance" of employees by
    corporations. For a typical customer service rep at a major 
    American airline, there's this huge printout showing how
    many breaks this employee took, how long the breaks lasted,
    average time spent per call etc. Apparently all this detailed
    statistics-gathering on each employee has been automated.
    It also appears that these employees are monitored and
    evaluated on a daily basis by their supervisors using
    the information on these charts. In the example shown,
    there were hand-written comments by the supervisor indicating
    that a fourteen-minute break was unacceptably long and
    "better time management" was encouraged. 
    
    I found this horrifying, and reminiscent of a different era.
    The reason I'm posting this here is that the typical employee 
    working a job amenable to such intense surveillance is female. 
    I thought I should bring this to the attention of activists
    who may  be following this conference.
    
    Should you like to have a copy, please let me know.
    
    Ganesh.

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
281.1		HEFTY::CHARBONND	in the dark the innocent can't see	`Thu Aug 09 1990 13:40`	4
	FWIW, you can get a printout of every call made from any phone in DEC, including time, number called, charges, and length of call. (It's useful if you suspect someone is abusing your phone.)
281.2		ULTRA::ZURKO	Jubilation's daughters	`Thu Aug 09 1990 14:46`	6
	Our cost center manager hands them out to people who seem to be using the phone about the norm. Just to let them know... CPSR (Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility) often has reports on the morality of using computers for such surveillance. Mez
281.3	Notes?	DISCVR::GILMAN		`Thu Aug 09 1990 16:26`	4
	DEC with its nets and intensive individual use of computers is perfectly situated to take a Big Brother role. In fact, it may well be that employees who use Notes can/are being monitored as to how much time is being spent in Notes? Hmmmmmm
281.4		TINCUP::KOLBE	The dilettante debutante	`Thu Aug 09 1990 16:55`	11
	In Germany this is illegal. Digital has had to modify some products we use in the field so that this indiviualised reporting can't be done. The day they start monitoring the executives is that day I'll think this is moral to be used on the rest of us. And I don't believe that will happen. How many execs have to take lie detector tests? Bet that would be interesting. As for notes time being counted, I hope they also count the times I've been here at midnight and weekends working on the systems. Most of us don't have 8-5 go home and forget about it jobs. liesl
281.5	Yes, watch your noting time.	MCIS2::NOVELLO	I've fallen, and I can't get up	`Thu Aug 09 1990 23:38`	6
	.3 I know two people that got in trouble from spending too much time in notes. Guy
281.6	By whose ethics?	YUPPY::DAVIESA	Grail seeker	`Fri Aug 10 1990 09:26`	9
	RE .3 Yes - I know two too.... Apparently our local system management may have decided that monitoring the system in order to put an indiviudal "on the spot" is "unethical"... 'gail