Privacy and Electronic Monitoring in the Workplace: A Model of Managerial Cognition and Relational Trust Development

This paper explores the impact of experience at the current organization, prior experience at other organizations, and individual propensity to trust on workplace electronic monitoring and trust formation between employees and management. Taking a cognitive approach, these relationships are investigated through the lens of cognitive categorization theory. The paper discusses trustworthiness as the category label of a group of traits and behaviors that subsequently leads to lower levels of turnover, increased organizational commitment, and lower levels of electronic monitoring. Organizational and individual level outcomes are explored with respect to electronic monitoring procedures in organizations. The discussion focuses on implications for practice and future research as well as several ethical and managerial implications, and provides recommendations regarding implementation of electronic monitoring systems for managers.