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Pros and cons of utilizing video surveillance as a means to uncover employee theft in the workplace

March 18, 2008
By:  Lynn Bryant

Employee theft can cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars. Losses are not just due to the removal of the object itself, but also include lost profits, and in some cases even loss of the company itself. As technology continues to advance, corporate crooks are becoming more and more sophisticated as well.

Therefore, it is critical that companies develop strategies and implement safeguards to have any hope of protecting themselves. This article focuses primarily on how companies are turning to the use of video surveillance to help them uphold ethical standards and fight against workplace theft.

Pros of using video surveillance in the workplace

Video surveillance can be a useful tool for identifying improper and unethical behavior. While video surveillance cannot prevent all employee theft, it does provide several distinct benefits that include:

• Provision of proof to document improper activity -- Video surveillance cameras capture and record images of actual events that occur. Captured video can often shed valuable light on what did or did not take place leading up to an event in question. This evidence can often prove invaluable during an investigation. In addition to being able to rely on video images as evidence after the fact, video surveillance can also prevent criminal activity in the first place.
  
  However, to use video surveillance as a preventative measure your surveillance system requires active monitoring. Any suspicious activity that is viewed would need to be investigated and dealt with immediately. This is often not very practical for many companies since the personnel and expense associated with active monitoring can be cost prohibitive. For this reason, video surveillance is often used primarily as a tool to provide proof of a wrongdoing, after it has occurred.
   
• Acts as a natural deterrent to unethical behavior -- Just having a video surveillance system installed onsite can have a powerful effect of preventing criminal activity in the first place. Employees that are aware of the presence of video surveillance cameras are less likely to participate in unethical or criminal behavior due to the fear of their crime being recorded.
  
  There is no guarantee however that all criminal activity will be prevented as criminals can and often do find their way around the watchful eye of video surveillance cameras. In general, employees will think twice before participating in any kind of unlawful activity if they know they are being watched by company security cameras.
   
• Provides added safety and protection for employees -- Companies that install video surveillance systems within their facility often experience added safety as a side benefit. Managers can be kept informed of suspicious behavior allowing them to carefully monitor certain situations before they become full-blown problems. In addition, if unethical or criminal activity does occur, the video evidence can make it easier to correctly identify those involved and ensure a swifter resolution. This can mean a safer working environment for employees.

Cons of using video surveillance in the workplace

While video surveillance does provide some useful benefits when utilized in the workplace setting, there are some potential downsides to the practice. These potential pitfalls can include the following:

• An effective system requires active monitoring -- For any video surveillance system to be a crime prevention tool, systems must be actively monitored. For many companies, this means hiring a staff or security service company to actively monitor video surveillance feeds 24 hours a day. Any suspicious activity would then have to be investigated and dealt with immediately. This is simply not practical for many companies. This cost associated with active video monitoring can be prohibitively expensive.
   
• Not all thefts can be captured by video surveillance -- Another downside to video surveillance is the fact that not all activities will be recorded by the system. An employee's knowledge of your company's video surveillance practices may allow them to sufficiently avoid detection. In addition, some of the costliest forms of employee theft involve the improper transfer of electronic information, which is virtually impossible to detect from video surveillance devices.
   
• Can provide a false sense of security -- There is always the danger that having a video surveillance system on site can create a false sense of security for both managers and employees alike. This may cause individuals to be less vigilant if they assume that the video surveillance systems are in place to capture all improper activity. If you have a video surveillance system in place, it should never be considered your primary means of monitoring employee behavior. It can be an excellent tool to reinforce your security and ethical policies, but should never be your only tool.

Deciding on whether or not it will be beneficial to incorporate a video surveillance system into your organization will depend significantly on your particular business environment. Should you decide to utilize video surveillance, it is important to integrate it into your overall security strategy to lessen some of the downsides that can come from relying too heavily on this one tool. 

About the Author
Lynn Bryant is a successful freelance writer and contributor to Video-Surveillance-Guide.com.  Your definitive guide to video surveillance equipment, CCTV cameras and wireless security systems for home and business.

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