Silicon supervisors and stress: Merging new evidence from the field

Using computer software to track and evaluate employee performance (“monitoring” or “silicon supervision”) continues to be a controversial issue. One area of particular concern is the potential linnk between monitoring and workplace stress. Much of the evidence supporting the link is anecdotal. There are, however, a few empirical studies that seem to indicate a positive correlatin and which subsequently extrapolate a causal relationship from that correlation. At the same time, research results are far from conclusive: for every study demonstrating a link, one can find another that fails to demonstrate such a correlation. Evidence from two studies supported the argument that the link between stress and monitoring is weak, and that it is difficult to infer a significant causal relationship. A lab experiment failed to show increased stress in a monitored environment. A field survey with very high power established only a weak relationship between monitoring and stress. It also provided evidence that the correlation may be predictive, but not explanatory.