Extended Essay

Information Technology in a Global Society

May 2022

The use of employee monitoring technology

Research question: To what extent does employee monitoring impact the productivity of

companies in Lebanon?

Word Count: 3605

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Table of contents
Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………..…3
How does employee monitoring function and what does it entail?.................................................5
Positive impacts of employee monitoring on employers …………………………………………7
Negative impacts of employee monitoring on employers………………………………..........….9
Impacts of employee monitoring on employees…………………………………………………11
Ethics………………………………………………………………….………………………….12
Employee monitoring in Lebanon………...……………………………………………………..13
The situation of employee monitoring in Lebanon………………………………………………14
Obstacles and limitations………………………………………………………………...………15
Survey analysis…………………………………………………………………………….…….15
Conclusion………………………………………………………………….……………………16
Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….……….17
Appendix A Interview 1……………………………………………………………...…………..21
Appendix B Interview 2………………………………………………………………………….23
Appendix C Interview 3………………………………………….………………………………25
Appendix D Survey………………………………………………………………………………28

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Introduction:

Employee surveillance and monitoring are not new; Nonetheless, as a result of

technological advancements, they have become increasingly sophisticated, prevalent, ubiquitous,

as well as possibly more intruding, extending the bounds of acceptable behavior, and also

providing new problems for legislators and policymakers.

The COVID-19 crisis has widened the surveillance technology industry and expedited

adoption. Employee surveillance software companies like Sneek and Teramind reportedly saw a

surge in purchases during the outbreak. According to the company's official statement, PwC, a

global consulting firm, has created facial recognition software that records when employees are

away from their laptops. The solution is intended to improve regulatory compliance while

financial institution staff work from home. (“Monitoring and Surveillance of Workers in the

Digital Age.” Eurofound,)

Employee monitoring falls under the title of Business and Employment. One very

common use of IT in businesses is employee monitoring. Monitoring is frequently used to try

and deduct the amount of time that employees spend on waste, particularly time lost due to

personal online browsing. Employees have become familiar with the certainty of being watched

in some fashion as a consequence of many firms transferring their personnel to working from

home during the pandemic. Employees may see this as a price to pay for the freedom to work

from home or abroad. Surveillance acceptability in the workplace may represent a larger trend

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toward omnipresent online tracking, which suggests implicit consent – or at the very least little

resistance – to monitoring techniques.

Looking at this global upward trend in employee monitoring, this urges the question, to what

extent does employee monitoring impact the productivity of companies in Lebanon? This

topic will thoroughly be explained by highlighting the following:

The purpose behind staff monitoring, and the mechanism behind it. Its benefits, drawbacks,

effectivity, morality, and both positive and negative influence it has on the stakeholders. Is it

permissible? What are the issues and potential solutions for this technology? What type of

technology is used? What software is being used? What hardware is being used? What types of

networks are employed? And, how significant is it?

For my research I will be resorting to online secondary sources, as well primary resources that

include interviews I have completed, and a survey I conducted.

How does employee monitoring function and what does it entail?

Employee surveillance is a sort of activity surveillance used by enterprises to achieve a

variety of objectives, such as preventing and detecting costly data breaches, enhancing employee

engagement, and decreasing inefficient operations are just a few of the goals. Modern employee

monitoring technologies have recently showed expanded capabilities in terms of total workforce

analytics and staff productivity coaching. (Michelle. “Learn How to Navigate Employee

Monitoring and Engagement in a Remote Work Environment.” Remotedesk, 15 Dec. 2021).

These current tools can be used by businesses to improve employee performance, promote

employee engagement, and decrease inefficiencies in processes. Organizations frequently

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monitor and analyze the work behavior of their personnel. As a result, this method may be used

to analyze data on workforce activity and employee monitoring to discover patterns, correlations,

and trends across teams, organizations, and departments to gain insight into business processes

and how they may be improved. This information includes program utilization, time spent on

activities that are not useful, and the most productive time of day for each employee. Employee

monitoring provides a holistic point of view on how their task is carried out both inside and

outside of the workplace, reviewing data on employee behavior and insights for businesses and

employees to boost personal, team, and company efficiency. (“What Is Employee Monitoring? the

Complete Guide.” ActivTrak, 4 Feb. 2022).

So, how does this system work in practice? Companies may simply filter their internet

connection to eliminate typical sources of distraction such as social media, pornography, and

gaming sites, but blocking all undesired sites is impractical. Internet and email monitoring can

help guarantee that an organization's acceptable usage regulations are followed in certain

scenarios. Employee monitoring solutions come in a variety of forms, including internet

monitoring software, desktop monitoring software, and remote watching. To begin with, internet

monitoring software makes it simple for network administrators to keep track of which websites

individual users visit, as well as any downloaded files or restricted pages they try to access. Even

the content of websites that are not encrypted can be easily viewed if they are not encrypted.

Because most email isn't encrypted, it's easy to read both incoming and outgoing messages, even

if they aren't saved on the company's server. Because most network traffic flows through a

gateway server on the company's LAN before heading out onto the internet, it may be monitored.

In terms of desktop tracking, this software has additional features that allow it to keep track on

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non-internet activity. These apps, which are essentially spyware, may generate extensive reports

on practically every element of a computer's activity, including:

Individual application usage, Disk space usage, Idle time, Instant message chat logs,

Software installation, File access, Copying and altering documents opened, Windows

opened, Items printed, Keystrokes typed, and USB device insertion and removal.

Moreover, monitoring software also have remote viewing and remote desktop features,

which allow a remote user such as an administrator to view and interact with the screen

of another computer respectively.

Positive impacts of employee monitoring on employers

The employer is of course a primary stakeholder when speaking of employee

monitoring. The first main positive impact on employers is boosting employee

productivity. To elaborate, it is a proven truth that when managers watch employees in

the workplace, they begin to perform more efficiently and their overall production

rises. Most businesses and organizations have employee monitoring rules in place

because they want their employees to contribute effectively. The explanation for the

boost in productivity is that when employees are observed, they are aware that their

actions are being watched, so they work harder and spend less time on non-productive

activities.

The second main positive impact on employers is improves employee

evaluation. Every company has a system in place to track employee performance when it

comes to awarding bonuses and promotions, but there are some limitations. Employee

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monitoring using appropriate technical solutions is ideal and provides you with a fair

assessment of the circumstance of what your staff have been up to throughout the year.

The company owners and managers would have the ability to evaluate the personnel in

the best possible way on the basis of their records.

In addition to improving office management, the best strategy to ensure proper

administration and management is to have employees monitor the office. Everything will

run well, employees will work during normal business hours, administration staff will

supervise and handle general issues, and the bosses will be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

The results will improve if the administration is improved. Employee monitoring, in

short, is extremely beneficial in maintaining a pleasant office atmosphere.

Increased supervision on the staff's whereabouts. The most crucial thing is to

maintain better control over your workforce by keeping an eye on your entire office crew.

Things could be stolen, one of your employees could be stealing other people's

possessions, and there could be any other mishap in the workplace, so employee

monitoring and careful oversight is critical. Different monitoring technologies, such as

TheOneSpy software, can be utilized to improve office management.

Furthermore, Cost-Effectiveness has a significant impact. Though there is a price

to pay, careful employee monitoring might save your firm money over time. Monitoring

software can assist you in determining how much your employees are costing you. You

can utilize employee monitoring to determine when someone is wasting or stealing

company time. It could also be beneficial in determining whether our employees are

experiencing issues with particular jobs or are unable to meet specified productivity goals

in a less spectacular manner. This allows you to check in with them and devise a plan to

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assist them develop. Early detection of these issues reduces future losses and helps you to

begin recouping your losses far more rapidly.

Last but not least, one of the many important positive impacts is Improving

internal security and anti-harassment measures enhancement. Finally, employee

monitoring can help you protect your staff while also boosting the security of your

business. Your staff and personal information, in addition to your clients and customers,

are all at risk. You may identify dangers that your team misses, receive warnings when

someone accesses data or information they shouldn't, and spot various sorts of suspicious

or malicious behavior from both internal and external sources with the help of a

monitoring tool. Similarly, you may become aware of your employees' improper activity.

Harassment of either customers or employees, evidence of workplace alcoholism,

evidence of theft, or other acts that jeopardize the workplace's quality and security are all

instances. Employee surveillance is neither good nor harmful in the end. It all relies on

your goals and how you'd like to put it to use in your organization. Employee monitoring,

as long as their privacy is maintained, may be incredibly valuable to both your staff and

your company as a whole. (Cohen, Doron Ben. “Pros and Cons of Employee Monitoring:

Atera's Blog.” Atera, Atera, 21 Nov. 2021).

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Negative impacts of employee monitoring on employers

Employee monitoring, while effective, has a variety of drawbacks, one of which

being a drop in employee morale. When it comes to employee monitoring, there are

ethical issues to consider, particularly in terms of workplace morale. Employees may

believe you are violating their privacy or that you do not value or trust them. This may

result in resentment, a lack of trust, as well as a reduction in employee morale.

Employees who are disengaged are less productive and more likely to depart your

company. High employee turnover can hurt your company's bottom line, generate stress

for current employees, and damage your company's reputation among potential

candidates and applications. (Cohen, Doron Ben. “Pros and Cons of Employee

Monitoring: Atera's Blog.” Atera, Atera, 21 Nov. 2021).

Another negative impact is the increased cost in time and resources. It takes

time and money to monitor employees. You'll need to carry out some research to identify

the most effective monitoring tools, make a new policy and then implement it in place at

your company. After you've assembled the system, in order to make the most of it, you

should focus on improving your tracking and management techniques. You'll also need to

go over all of the information you've gathered, which is crucial if you want to expand

your business using it. Employee monitoring can divert resources, time, and effort away

from more important jobs or initiatives. Depending on the tools you're working with, and

your level of involvement, your workflow could improve. In the long run, it may be

worthwhile, but there is no way to completely eliminate the costs of personnel

monitoring.

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 Last but not least, another very important impact is the Increase in legal

implications and risks. When you decide to keep an eye on your staff, you take some

legal risk. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986 allows employers to

legally trace employee activities on work equipment (ECPA). Each state, however, has its

own regulations governing employee monitoring that may be harsher than the ECPA.

Before you install any monitoring systems, ensure that all federal, state, and local

monitoring laws are followed. It's possible to over-monitor your personnel, even if local

monitoring requirements are followed, which has its own set of issues. If you monitor too

carefully, you may obtain disclosure of relevant data about employees such as private

communications, medical data, and sensitive financial information. Then it's up to you to

keep those vital bits of data and information safe. You risk causing harm to your

company's reputation with future employees and clients, as well as the prospect of legal

action, if you don't. Surveillance tactics could land you in court if you're not careful.

Though you, as a company, have the authority to inspect your employees in a variety of

ways, your staff also have a legitimate privacy rights. Employees' right to privacy may be

violated if surveillance is intrusive, dishonest, or intrudes on their personal lives. A

lawsuit against you or your firm could easily result from a breach of privacy. (Michelle.

“Learn How to Navigate Employee Monitoring and Engagement in a Remote Work

Environment.” Remotedesk, 15 Dec. 2021,).

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Impacts of employee monitoring on employees

In the case of monitoring, the right to privacy is the most important concern for

employees. Attempts to conceptually establish the right to privacy have been made

several times. Privacy rights may be seen as vital to defend principles such as self-

determination, which is arguably critical to a person's identity. This line of thought views

privacy as a means of defining an individual's identity by establishing a boundary

between them. However, other from such broad generalizations, there is no agreement on

the nature, scope, and relevance of privacy. The right to privacy is not recognized as a

legal right in certain nations, while it is recognized as a fundamental human right in

others. Workplace surveillance is regulated differently in different countries, ranging

from minimal protection such as in the United States and many third-world countries, but

the EU, New Zealand, and Australia have more stringent regulations. The right to

confidentiality is typically viewed in philosophical literature as the right to control

information about oneself. However, it is clear that this privilege or right is regarded

secondary to a slew of other rights. When more significant interests, such as public

safety, are at stake, the state can provide a surveillance permission, for example.

Furthermore, most people would argue that the right to privacy can be regarded

suspended or limited in some ordinary settings. Because of the public nature of their job

and the public interests vested in them, for example, public officials' right to

confidentiality is frequently to be considered limited. It's also claimed that when

employees sign an employment contract, they give up their right to privacy to the point

that it conflicts with their contractual obligations. However, identifying a reasonable

workplace surveillance border is still difficult. For example, a candidate's inner

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 sentiments and desires are obviously relevant to someone evaluating a candidate's

suitability for a position. It's possible that the candidate is secretly unsatisfied with the

position he or she is seeking for, and the firm may be right in suspecting that this would

impact the individual's performance. Other factors, aside from the right to privacy, may

militate against the case for broad surveillance in the workplace. Surveillance may easily

turn a workplace into a hostile and suspicious environment, lowering employee morale

and productivity. Employee health may be harmed as well; according to one study,

employees who are under surveillance are more likely to suffer from despair and anxiety.

They also have a higher rate of chronic weariness, strain injuries, and neck difficulties.

Finally, because employees are under pressure to work longer hours, it may become

necessary to do personal business at work on a regular basis. When building surveillance

methods, this reality must be recognized and taken into account. There is a strong sense

that personal information, such as medical reports or family concerns, should be kept

private, regardless of whether or not they are handled by working staff. (Employee

Surveillance and the Modern Workplace - Core.)

As a result, employee surveillance involves two major players. Employers have

the right to monitor their employees to ensure that they are adhering to the terms of their

employment contracts, but they may also have additional concerns that justify

monitoring. Employees, on the other hand, are heavily influenced by the layout of their

workplace, and being watched can be vexing, debilitating, and unjustifiable.

Ethics:

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 Taking an ethical approach to employee monitoring is very important. As an

employee, always seek legal advice from your company's legal department to ensure that

you are fully aware of your own and your employees' rights. While it is permissible to

monitor employees, privacy rules vary by state and region. (“Ethical Considerations for

Employee Monitoring.” ActivTrak). While it is unavoidable to damage some employees'

sentiments, there are ethical approaches to do monitoring. Make sure your staff are aware

that you want to begin monitoring them, as well as the methods you'll be employing, the

information you'll be looking for, and the potential applications of the data. You might

even have employees sign a letter acknowledging their acceptance of your monitoring

policy so that you have a record of their agreement. Of course, the legality of employee

surveillance and surveillance legislation should not be the only factors to examine. It is

far more crucial to take an ethical approach. In fact, earning, retaining, and honoring your

team's trust is critical, as it prevents managers from invading employees' privacy or

creating a toxic workplace. The good news is that you can monitor your workers' digital

work activities without jeopardizing their confidence or privacy.

Not many companies care about their employees’ privacy, however companies

such as ActivTrak prioritize employee privacy while focusing on the power of data and

analytics to enhance employee productivity in a way that benefits everyone, resulting in a

more positive workplace culture. They believe in openness and the value of data, not for

spying but for empowering people. (“Ethical Considerations for Employee Monitoring.”

ActivTrak).

Employee monitoring in Lebanon:

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 To further understand how employee monitoring impact Lebanese companies, I

conducted three interviews with a CEO, Human Resources Director, and a Human Resources

Manager. The interviews were with Mr. Elias Dib, the Chief Commercial Officer of EMEA

(Appendix A: Interview 1 Transcripts), a regional office for Astrophysics Inc. that provides sales

and service support in EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa); Mr. Karim Jazzar,

Deputy Human Resources Director at Merit Shipping SAL. (Appendix B: Interview 2

Transcripts), and Mr. Georges Slim, Human Resources Manager at Beirut Waterfront SAL

(Appendix C: Interview 3 Transcripts. In addition to a survey I made about how employees feel

about being monitored. (Appendix D: Survey).

Current Situation:

Throughout my interviews, each company has a different thought about employee

monitoring, and each company also has different obstacles, and impacts on the company’s

productivity.

To begin with the impacts, Mr. Dib speaks about how employee monitoring leads

employees to focusing and taking their job more seriously, with an advantage of facilitating the

control of employees by using such technology (Appendix A). However, Mr. Jazzar talks about

how employee monitoring affects the company’s productivity by saying how the company

focuses on achieving their targets in terms of performance and results, as it is crucial to their

success as a global group. Monitoring their employees is not their objective, but a tool to be able

to guide them to be successful in their respective jobs. Their main advantages in using this

technology is monitoring performance to help their employees deliver their results and

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successfully contribute to the results of their group. (Appendix B). Also, Mr. Slim explained how

employee monitoring impacts the company’s productivity in general, as it helps the company

determine how employees spend their time at work, and also helps to monitor the progress of

operations within the working hours outside the company as well. By collecting these

information, they help their employees find the best ways to do their job. Their main advantage

of monitoring their employees is monitoring the progress of operations which enables them to

study their employees and accurately to develop a future plan and improve what needs to be

improved to obtain better results. (Appendix C).

Obstacles and Limitations:

Lots of obstacles and limitations occur by using this technology, especially in my country

Lebanon. The main reason being our electricity problems, meaning that there will always be

disruption to the technology. Keeping in mind also that the financial obstacle of using such

technology which costs a lot, implementing these programs with a clear process and running it

without negative effects will never be an easy mission. (Appendix C).

Survey analysis:

To understand Lebanese employees’ outlook towards employee monitoring, I conducted

a survey using google forms, the details are documented on Appendix D. (Appendix D: survey).

The majority of the Lebanese employees I have surveyed prefer to not be monitored. For

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example, 81% would prefer to not be under surveillance. The vast majority think that employee

monitoring is ethical to some extent (85%), and also legal to some extent (61.9%). However,

61.9% understand that the company uses the technology of monitoring their employees to

minimize the time wasted on anything non-related to work. Even though the minority 4.8%

would not be concerned at all, all of the others are somewhat (52.4%) or absolutely (42.9%)

concerned about their privacy as being employees that are monitored by their employers. Despite

all that, the majority (57.1%) believes that employee monitoring does in fact impact the

company’s productivity. (Appendix D: survey).

Conclusion:

To summarize, employee monitoring has various positive effects on a worldwide scale, as

well as some negative effects and restrictions. The ability to monitor employees in a legal and

ethical manner can have a significant impact on a company's efficiency. Answering the research

question, to what extent does employee monitoring impact the productivity of companies in

Lebanon, employee monitoring does have a great impact on the company’s productivity. It

improves the company’s determination of how employees spend their time at work, and also

helps monitor the progress of operations within the working hours outside the company as well.

Moreover, collecting this information helps the company get better results. (Appendix C). The

use of this technology raises a big question mark on to what extent it is ethical and legal to

monitor employees.

Word Count: 3605

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Appendix A: Astrophysics EMEA Interview Transcript

Topic: Employee Monitoring

Date of interview: March 9, 2022

Name of interviewer: Joseph Ghanem IB2, Student of Sagesse High School

1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself and your role at Astrophysics EMEA?
Hello, my name is Elias Dib, I am the CEO of Astrophysics EMEA

2. Can you briefly explain what Astrophysics EMEA is?

Astrophysics EMEA, based in Jounieh Lebanon, is a regional office for Astrophysics inc. that
provides sales and service support in EMEA region (Europe, Middle East, and Africa)

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 Astrophysics Inc. is a designer and manufacturer of X-ray inspection systems for screening
baggage, cargo and vehicles and security applications.

3. Being a company that monitors its employees in Lebanon, can you talk about how it
impacts the company’s productivity?
Employee monitoring or other company policy will lead to employees focusing and taking their
job more seriously.
4. What are the advantages of using such technology?
It facilitates taking control of the employees, saving time, helps minimize cheating

5. In your opinion, what impact does employee monitoring have on the employees in
terms of privacy?
There is no privacy on all activities related to work. However, special cases that become known
to the CEO remain confidential.
6. What are some obstacles that the company faces by using this technology?

Lack of power, loss of internet, minimizes effect on the program.

7. Does employee monitoring have any negative impacts that you can think of? If so,
how do you believe companies like Astrophysics EMEA can work to prevent these
negative impacts?
No negative impacts.
8. Some employees are concerned about their privacy; can you please explain how
ethically you use this technology in order to satisfy the employees?
There is no privacy at work when it comes to attendance, work emails, travel ticketing,
hotel reservations, trip expenses. However, all this information is confidential.

9. Considering Lebanon is a little late to technological advances, do you believe that

having this technology is a priority for companies?
In general, Lebanon is not late to technological advances, all technology available in the
world can be brought to Lebanon. However, current technology at Astrophysics EMEA meet
the requirements.

10. Do you believe that using this technology leads to mistrust and resentment in the
workplace?

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In general, using this technology does not lead to mistrust for good employees who comply with
company guidelines. Some employees do resent employee monitoring program because they
have corrupted DNA.

Thank you for your time!

Appendix B: MERIT SHIPPING Sal Interview Transcript

Topic: Employee Monitoring

Date of interview: March 9, 2022

Name of interviewer: Joseph Ghanem IB2, Student of Sagesse High School

1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself and your role at MERIT SHIPPING Sal?
My name is Karim Jazzar, Deputy HR Director at Merit Group.

2. Can you briefly explain what MERIT SHIPPING Sal is?

Merit Shipping is the shipping agency of CMA CGM in Lebanon, one of the 160
countries where CMA CGM Group is present.

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3. Being a company that monitors its employees in Lebanon, can you talk about how it
impacts the company’s productivity?
We focus on achieving our targets in terms of performance and results, it is crucial
to our success as a global group. Monitoring employees is not our objective but a
tool to be able to guide them to be successful in their respective jobs.
4. What are the advantages of using such technology?
The main advantage when we monitor performance is to be able to help our
employees to deliver their results and successfully contribute to the results of the
Group.

5. In your opinion, what impact does employee monitoring have on the employees in
terms of privacy?
As most companies, we have tested a hybrid working approach. We trust our
employees to be professional and encourage our managers to coach them in order to
ensure we deliver results with quality of service. Our approach has been an issue for
employees as we provide them with all the necessary tools.

6. What are some obstacles that the company faces by using this technology?

No obstacles that I can think of. Our systems are safe, secure and practical.

7. Does employee monitoring have any negative impacts that you can think of? If so,
how do you believe companies like MERIT SHIPPING Sal can work to prevent these
negative impacts?
In our experience we focus on performance and helping our employees achieve their
targets. We empower our teams to keep open communication and feedback to
identify any issues.

8. Some employees are concerned about their privacy; can you please explain how
ethically you use this technology in order to satisfy the employees?

For a Group of our size and global influence, ethics and compliance is a major
theme in everything we do. Cybersecurity and making sure that our employees are
equipped to do their job is our priority. In this sense we do not focus on monitoring
employee just for the sake of it.

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 9. Considering Lebanon is a little late to technological advances, do you believe that
having this technology is a priority for companies?

It depends on the priorities of the company. We are a results driven company that
focuses on developing its people. We have global infrastructures and practice that
enable us to protect our assets and data.

10. Do you believe that using this technology leads to mistrust and resentment in the
workplace?
Not at all if it’s communicated in a transparent manner and all employees
understand the approach.

Thank you for your time!

Appendix C: BWD Interview Transcript

Topic: Employee Monitoring

Date of interview: 10/03/2022

Name of interviewer: Joseph Ghanem IB2, Student of Sagesse High School

1. Hello, can you please introduce yourself and your role at BWD?
Hello, my name is Georges Slim, I am 35 years old, I hold a bachelor degree in Business
Management in addition to certificates related to human resources which I sought to
obtain after I decided to enter this field.
I have been working for BWD for more than 9 years, I joined the company as a personnel
manager, as for now I am holding the position of Human Resources Manager at the
company.

2. Can you briefly explain what BWD is?

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 First of all, we have to know that BWD is the abbreviation of the company’s name which
is Beirut Waterfront Development SAL.
BWD is a real estate development and tourism company, it is responsible for the overall
development and management of Zaituna Bay and Le Yacht Club – Beirut, two of the
most important tourism projects in Lebanon and one of the best destinations for many
tourists who come to the country.

3. Being a company that monitors its employees in Lebanon, can you talk about how it
impacts the company’s productivity?

Employee monitoring in general may help the company to determine how employees
spend their time at work, it also helps to monitor the progress of operations within the
working hours outside the company as well. By collecting all these information, you can
help your employees to find the best ways in doing their jobs. If we take the GPS tracking
for example, and while using this monitoring system, the company can better map the
routes and travel times for its drivers, which helps them to get better results and save
more time.

4. What are the advantages of using such technology?

As I already mentioned, such technology can monitor the progress of operations, which
enables it to study them better and accurately to develop a future plan and improve what
needs to be improved to obtain better results.

5. In your opinion, what impact does employee monitoring have on the employees in
terms of privacy?
I can comfortably say that when you are transparent with your employees regarding
monitoring rights which should be clear for everyone it will not affect them negatively,
and sure when your monitoring is limited only to business devices even if you are
allowing employees to use personal devices at work, they should face no problems.

6. What are some obstacles that the company faces by using this technology?

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 Keeping in mind the financial obstacle of using such technology which costs a lot,
implementing these programs with a clear process and running it without negative
effects will never be an easy mission.

7. Does employee monitoring have any negative impacts that you can think of? If so,
how do you believe companies like BWD can work to prevent these negative
impacts?
As discussed before, using this technology with ignoring employee’s privacy and
applying it with lack of trust and not for the sake of developing and improving work will
sure have a negative impact. Thus, at the company we make sure before applying it to
explain the real reasons behind using these technologies and how it will affect the work
positively, and we also provide privacy protection for our employees.

8. Some employees are concerned about their privacy; can you please explain how
ethically you use this technology in order to satisfy the employees?

In order to reduce the fear of affecting their privacy, we limit the technology use to the
company’s devices only, and we do not apply it on their devices which helps the
employees to be satisfied to some extent.

9. Considering Lebanon is a little late to technological advances, do you believe that

having this technology is a priority for companies?
We cannot say that it is a top priority at this stage where companies are still need to
update their systems in addition to some rules and regulation in order to be classified as
multinational companies, in addition, there are some laws that the government should
develop in relation to the labor law. Such technology is in itself a need to keep pace with
development and reach better organization systems.

10. Do you believe that using this technology leads to mistrust and resentment in the
workplace?

On the contrary, this technology can be used to establish trust between the employer and
the employee, and this is of course if it’s used in appropriate way to develop the work,

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 and create a better atmosphere for the employee to take advantage of such technology
for self-development.

Thank you for your time!

Appendix D: Survey

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 If you chose yes or maybe for the previous question, please explain your reason

 It could improve productivity if the employees are scared to make a mistake they will
get fired over. Or it hinders productivity if the employees decide to rebel against being
monitored

 To some extent it does, because it can prevent employees from being unproductive due
to distractions. These distractions, such as gaming websites or social media, can be
filtered out by the company.

 It helps the company not waste time on employees that dont work or are irrelevant to
the company

 Reduces wasting time on activities not equivalent with the company’s work ethics.

 If employees are being monitored then their productivity will surely increase this is
due to the fact that every single webpage click or any other input they choose will be
directly sent to the companies database which will then be reviewed by their bosses to
ensure that the employee is working properly and is doing his or her job if an employer
is doing his or her job then the productivity of the entire company will improve which
will help them release more products in a shorter span finally increasing their overall
revenue

 employees tend to work more when they are monitored as they cannot adjourn their
work

 if the employee is found to be in a high area of expertise, where he/she does not like
nor need to be monitored, it would affect its ability to portray full potential works, as
he/she would feel limited. However, if the employee is still a trainee/new then
monitoring would increase productivity, as he/she would be less prone to getting
distracted

 fear of getting fired

 The employee will worry about their privacy hence reducing their focus and morale.

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 It would positively impact a company’s productivity since its employees won’t waste
their time scrolling through irrelevant websites.

 may demotivate or motivate people to work more efficiently…it depends on the

person/group of people you’re working with

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