Lidl Surveillance Case Study Essay - 5241 Words

As long as there has been employment, employees have been monitored (Nebeker amp; Tatum, 1993). However as the progress of technology becomes more rapid and equipment for monitoring is available to all, surveillance in the workplace has become a more alarming issue and the boundaries of what is necessary and what is an invasion of privacy are very vague. A case study presented for scrutiny is that of the ‘German supermarket chain Lidl accused of snooping on staff’. Many employers appoint surveillance within the workplace for a variety of reasons such as safety, prevention of theft or misuse and performance checks. The issues identified within this article are that of whether the monitoring that was carried out was necessary or whether†¦show more content†¦As this is one of the things that is monitored via the cameras and then such action being taken as (in the extreme) a ‘worker being forbidden to go to the toilet during working hours’ creates a sense of restriction for the employees. The employees are faced with a very controlled environment leading to them being stripped of control and their actions being dictated and monitored by managerial staff. The words of a former employee ‘when one needs the money, one lets many things pass’ (appendix 1.1) show she views the disturbances caused to her as harm and therefore Lidl could be a potential source of stress. The culture of discouraging creativity and initiativ e (see appendix 1.1) that Lidl creates results as a further lack of control for the employee and no sense of belonging. As can be seen from paragraph one in appendix 1 Lidl didn’t just monitor the employees but held personal information about their love lives and finances. Also women having to wear a headband if on their period to be allowed to go to the toilet can increase stress as they may not want private information such as this revealed to the public. The way each individual copes with this will be different and according to the Cooper-Cummings framework (cited in Cartwright and Cooper 1997) if there is failure to cope there is an occurrence of continued stress. Referring back to figure 1, Cartwright and Cooper (1997) argue that non-work factors are one of the sources of stress. The supportingShow MoreRelatedDm Swot Analysis Essay3233 Words   |  13 Pagesdrug retailer dm-drogerie markt GmbH Co. KG (dm-drogerie) that opens more and more stores in Germany and abroad and that operates in highly competitive markets. The aim of the following case study is to present this ambitious company and show how it is performing against its key competitors. The case study starts with a short description of dm-drogeries corporate history including general facts about its business development, its product and service range as well as the development of its revenuesRead MoreExploring Corporate Strategy - Case164366 Words   |  658 Pages 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 597 CASE STUDIES ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 598 ECS8C_C01.qxd 22/10/2007 11:54 Page 599 Guide to using the case studies The main text of this book includes 87 short illustrations and 15 case examples which have been chosen to enlarge speciï ¬ c issues in the text and/or provide practical examples of how business and public sector organisations are managing strategic issues. The case studies which follow allow the reader to extendRead MoreStrategic Marketing Management337596 Words   |  1351 Pagesexposure to marketing principles, if not to marketing practice. The intended market of the book comprises the following segments: âž ¡ Students reading for degrees involving marketing (especially MBA candidates and senior undergraduates following business studies programmes) âž ¡ Students of The Chartered Institute of Marketing who are preparing for the Marketing Planning paper in the CIM’s Diploma examinations âž ¡ Marketing practitioners who will benefit from a comprehensive review of current thinking in the field