Although some companies install them for security purposes, others use them as a control mechanism in search of labor productivity. This has generated paranoia on the part of the employees and although the cameras have been placed with good intentions, the worker’s imaginary is “they are watching me”.
This does not mean that there should not be cameras in companies, adds González. It all depends on the intention and how internal communication is handled. When the consultant was director of Microsoft technology in Mexico, until 2015, he experienced a series of ant robberies.
“Several things began to ‘disappear’. The first solution that was brought to my desk was that we had to check the cleaning people and the police when they entered and left the company. You have no idea how angry that made me. We decided to put cameras and we saw that it was the employees themselves who were taking the things, ”she recalls.
When the staff was informed that the video cameras had been installed, the ant robberies ended, which according to the monitoring firm Verizon Connect cause a reduction of between 25 and 30% of business income and can decrease up to 15 % the inventory of the companies.
However, the intention at Microsoft was never to police people, emphasizes González. “I would have loved not to post them because in the end the ant robberies also reflect a problem in the organizational culture.”
The cameras are put in so that people feel safe, not watched. But the architecture of a modern and humane organization starts from constantly reviewing its values and the culture that it wants to build every day. And in that review is attracting and retaining the right talent, people who share the company’s values and who have a sense of belonging to it.
“Today people are paranoid, if you put a camera to see if your employee is working or not, it is pathetic. Better ask yourself what you need to do your job and get the results you want to get. But do not put a camera to see if it arrives or not, if it works or not. Make it part of the company,” warns Fleindl.
Is it legal to be watched at work?
Andrew Richard Grepe, a partner at GLZ Abogados and a specialist in labor law, says that there is no ban on video cameras in the office as such, since they are security instruments.
However, the requirement for the labor authority to accept the video recording is that it be obtained in accordance with the law and not be contrary to morality; therefore, it is recommended to inform employees in writing that there are video cameras in the workplace.
“It must be specified that they are going to be recorded to ensure the safety of the workplace and of the personnel, and to ensure that the employees behave with probity and honesty and adequately carry out their tasks for which they were hired,” says the lawyer.
In addition, it must be stated in the document that the worker knows that it is being recorded and grants his authorization for the indicated purposes. All this to certify that the surveillance system is justified for security reasons and that it contemplates the control of the ideal work activity to achieve its purpose.
When it comes to home officeadds Grepe, article 330-I of the Federal Labor Law stipulates that the mechanisms, operating systems and any technology used to supervise teleworking must be proportional to its objective, guaranteeing the right to privacy of people and respecting the framework applicable law on the protection of personal data.
“Video cameras and microphones may only be used to supervise teleworking in an extraordinary way or when the nature of the functions performed by the worker requires it,” he emphasizes.
For Nora Taboada, coach executive, specialist in organizations and founder of the firm AFE, Liderazgo Consciente, the new labor market gave way to a dilemma in leadership, which is the management of talent in various modalities.
“Today, leaders have to learn to coexist with more self-managed, autonomous and empowered teams. Camera surveillance, on the other hand, will continue to be important because office assets have to be taken care of. But it is 100% recommended that people know the reasons why these devices are placed in the corridors, ”she concludes.
