Effects of Workplace Monitoring Policies on Potential Employment Discrimination and Organizational Attractiveness for African Americans in the Technical Professions

Abstract

Many organizations have policies concerning the use of technology to monitor the communications of employees. The present study explored the effects of these policies on beliefs and preferences of Black job applicants. Using a simulated job advertisement, we varied organizational monitoring policies and application submission methods in a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment with 600 participants from a professional organization of Black engineers. Using a multiple stakeholder model of organizational privacy as a theoretical framework, we measured the perceived potential for discrimination and the degree to which the simulated organization was seen as an attractive workplace for minorities. Results indicated that failing to protect employees’ and applicants’ privacy made the organization seem less attractive as an employer. Likewise, a lack of privacy protection was seen as a potential source of discrimination. These findings supported theoretical assertions concerning two of four normative bases of privacy preferences.

Examining employee compliance with organizational surveillance and monitoring

“…The 25 behavioural intention items for the present study were developed according to the strategy described by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980). Item content was derived from open‐ended interview studies reported by Stanton and Weiss (2000, 2003). Item development was also guided by the literature on workplace deviance (e.g.…”

“…Despite the reliance of organizational MST implementation on employee acceptance and compliance, very few studies in the domain of MST examine employees' acceptance and compliance with MST policies and practices as an outcome variable. Studies that investigated outcomes of MST from an employee perspective have examined whether the implementation or presence of MST policies and practices impacts perceptions of fairness and justice (Alge, 2001; Douthitt & Aiello, 2001; Hovorka‐Mead, Ross, Whipple, & Renchin, 2002; Stanton, 2000), privacy concerns (Alge, 2001; Hovorka‐Mead et al , 2002), task and job performance (Aiello & Kolb, 1995; Larson & Callahan, 1990; Stanton & Barnes‐Farrell, 1996; Stanton & Julian, 2002; Stanton & Sarkar‐Barney, 2003), organization attraction and turnover (Hovorka‐Mead et al , 2002; Stanton & Lin, 2003), and employee well‐being and job stress (Aiello & Kolb, 1995; Douthitt & Aiello, 2001; Holman, Chissick, & Totterdell, 2002). Among the few studies that have explicitly investigated acceptance of monitoring systems as a necessary prerequisite for their functioning are studies on acceptance and use of active badge monitoring systems (Harper, 1995), and awareness monitoring systems (Zweig & Webster, 2002, 2003).…”

Workplace Privacy: Employee Relations and Legal Implications of Monitoring Employee E-mail Use

“…Stanton (2003) showed that failing to protect privacy made the organization seem less attractive as an employer, and potentially a source of discrimination among black applicants who, as a group, have historically experienced employment discrimination. Mastrangelo and Popovich (2000) showed that employees perceived that their organizations' drug testing invaded their privacy, which was related to turnover intentions.…”

Organizational attraction and perceived person-organization fit: a study among university students

“…(2003) ise web sitesinin kullanışlılığının adayları etkilediğini ifade etmiştir. Bu süreçte gizlilik ihlalinin gerçekleşmesi ise, örgütün daha az çekici hale gelmesine neden olmaktadır (Stanton & Lin, 2003).…”