Work

An expanded view on electronic monitoring: Testing moderating effects of participation and perceived purposes of electronic monitoring

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Electronic monitoring has become a widespread method to record and analyze the behavior of employees. The current study investigated how developmental and controlling purposes of electronic monitoring, as well as participation, moderate the effects of electronic monitoring on employees’ well-being. Based on social information processing theory, developmental and controlling purposes were assumed to buffer or strengthen the relationship of monitoring with work satisfaction, engagement, and stress. In addition, participative decision making by team-leaders and works councils were expected to weaken this relationship. To examine our hypotheses, we surveyed 365 blue-collar workers from 29 organizations in Germany. To provide the best fit to the data, a Bayesian multivariate and multilevel approach was applied. We found detrimental effects of electronic monitoring on worker stress. However, we could not find the proposed moderator effects. We discuss several theoretical and methodological aspects that may have led to these findings. Future research on electronic monitoring should consider additional explaining factors rather than solely focusing on electronic monitoring.

Source: Telematics and Informatics Reports

DOI: 10.1016/j.teler.2025.100245

Authors: Rudolf Siegel, Cornelius J. König, Julia Jörg

Institutions: Saarland University, State Chancellery Saarland

Language: English

Topic: Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $1,790