Why Millennials Balk at Mobile Monitoring

Why Millennials Balk at Mobile Monitoring

63% of employees surveyed said they would be somewhat or very uncomfortable with their cell phones being monitored during work hours.

53% of employees surveyed said a policy to monitor mobile phones would make them nervous at work, reflecting concern compared to keylogging software or video surveillance. 19% said they frequently worry about their Internet history being viewed.

20% of employees surveyed don’t know if they are being monitored at work. 16% percent know they are being tracked, but don’t know how. 26% know their computer use is tracked. 27% say computer use is not tracked. 12% are aware that Web browsing is monitored.

Employees under the age of 35 are less likely to know whether their computer use is being monitored. 26% of millennials surveyed are unaware of their workplace policies, compared to 17% of respondents between the ages of 45 and 54.

Millennials may be less aware of workplace policies than older employees because they occupy entry-level positions and are more likely to be excluded from policy decisions.

Employees are more comfortable with computer use being monitored than mobile phone use. The breakdown of employees uncomfortable with monitoring tactics are as follows: Cell Phone Monitoring: 53%, Office Video Surveillance: 44.7%, Key Logging Software: 41.1%, Time Tracking Software: 31.7%, None of the above: 26.1%

Cell phone monitoring was the only tactic that a majority of employees said would make them nervous or uncomfortable. Of those: 61.5% are between the ages of 25 and 34, 48.7% are between 35 and 44, 47.7% are between 45 and 54 years old.

Employees also worry, but to a lesser extent, about their Web surfing activity being monitored. 19% of employees surveyed said they are often or sometimes worried about their employer knowing their Internet history.

Employees who don’t know they’re being tracked may later feel violated and disconnected from company policies and values. Greater transparency or education efforts can help, as can stressing the importance of engagement and disclosing policies to establish trust.