Snooping bosses

What should we think of bosses snooping on their employees?
May this be a result of the constantly growing competition between companies?
When all nuts and bolts are tightened elsewhere in the organisation, where is there to look but in the direction of the employees?

Surveillance is a powerful weapon, and unless handled with extreme delicacy it will not be long before you can’t even visit a restroom without being caught on film.
When the question is raised, companies monitoring their employers often defend themselves with the fact that the company owns the right to do it.

-Since the employees are hired by us to perform a task, we have the right to see to that it is performed in the most efficient way; you might hear an employer say.

The obvious hazard with this way of reasoning is that the weaker part, namely the employee, is dependent upon his employer. He needs income to be able to feed and to lead a decent life. Therefore he might unwillingly accept the fact that the employer will watch his every step.

This concept of making people work more efficient by watching and correcting them is rather frightening I would say.

I suggest you read George Orwell’s novel 1984 if you find my concerns interesting. The novel deals with the topic of a society where surveillance and thought control has gone way over the top.

We are no machines. We are humans. We can not be tweaked into maximum efficiency by watching our every step, or punishing us for stepping out of the box.

I Human.
And I want to keep it that way.