Everything Under Control? The Impact of Electronic Monitoring Type and Social Norms on Privacy and Reactance

Digitalization enables continuous monitoring of not only work processes but also employees’ cognitive, emotional, and behavioral activities. This study investigated how different types of electronic monitoring affect employees’ privacy and reactance and how social norms regarding electronic monitoring (opposition or support) shape these reactions. In a scenario study, we found higher privacy invasion and reactance when not solely screen time was monitored, but screen activity via screenshots or social interactions via face reader. The social norm did not influence these relations. However, we found strong compliance with the social norm of rejecting electronic monitoring, indicating a strong negative attitude toward electronic monitoring. The results suggest that invasiveness of electronic performance monitoring beyond screen time monitoring is perceived as high privacy-invasive and comparatively reactance-evoking.