The software for watching workers even has its own acronym – SIEM stands for Security Information and Event Management. This leads to inevitable comparisons with 1984 and Big Brother.
Employee Theft a Multi-Billion Dollar Problem
Statistics on employee theft are staggering, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says it’s done by 75 percent of workers.
Employee Theft Solutions gives a rundown on the extent of the problem in the United States, followed by the source of its information:
- Businesses lose 20% of every dollar to employee theft- American Society of Employers;
- In 2008, one in every 30 employees was apprehended for theft from their employer- 2008 Jack Hayes International, Inc. survey;
- In 2008, 72,120 employees were apprehended from 22 large retail companies, up 3.01% from 2007 - 2008 Jack Hayes International, Inc. survey;
- 30% of corporate bankruptcies result from employee theft – U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and,
- The FBI calls employee theft the fastest growing crime in America, 55% of perpetrators of employee theft are managers- American Society of Employers.
Employee Time Theft Combatted by Software
Employee Theft Solutions also says, “The Boston Globe and Denver Post report that ‘time theft’ and loafing cost U.S. companies over $400 billion a year in lost productivity.”
A new word has been coined to cover this lack of activity – presenteeism. An article in The Economist (September 10, 2009) describes the use of software to monitor people who turn up for work every day but actually do nothing. According to the magazine, “Peter Cheese, managing director of Accenture’s talent and organization practice, says that presenteeism has become more common as communications break down between managers and staff in firms that are under financial stress.”
Software Tracks Productivity
Software is now being used by many businesses to mine e-mails for key words that might indicate a breach of security, employing technologies such as SIEM.
Gartner, a technology consultancy, says that the market for SIEM software grew by 50% in 2008. One of the key areas in this field allows companies to record and view exactly what happens on the screen of employees. The software can even record every keystroke.
This is particularly important in the case of employees who are about to leave a company. It could take a salesperson seconds to download a business’s client list and account details onto a memory stick. With the right software a manager will know about this the instant it happens.
Keeping Track of Staff on the Road
Even when employees are away from the office, companies can still keep and eye on them.
Monique Johnson writes in Saint Mary’s University’s The Journal (September 15, 2009) that Purewire and Zscaler are two companies providing software that can monitor company laptops when plugged into hotel Internet connections.
Ms. Johnson asks, “If employees discover this in their workplace, will morale increase or decrease? If a company has to monitor employees so closely, does this seem like a healthy work environment, or just plain distrust?”
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