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Does watching
people work
actually help?

For bosses and staff who worry that "installing cameras means I don't trust you"
No. 26Thinking ClearlyPart 6 of 12
1

The short version

Watching people Watching the work

It can help, and it can backfire. The difference is whether you're watching "is the job done" or "every single move a person makes."

2

Two ways
of watching,
what's the
difference?

WATCHING PEOPLE
The boss's eyes follow the person, and even a slightly slow move gets a comment
Like a parent standing behind a kid doing homework: the more they stare, the harder it is to write
WATCHING THE WORK
Only the results: do the books balance, is the trash full, is the prep done
Like an exam that only grades the answer sheet, whichever question you did first

In short: watching the work puts people at ease; watching the people puts them on guard.

3

Watching the work:
the books of
392 restaurants

A few American researchers tracked 392 chain restaurants. One after another they installed software that checks the cash-register records: which order was deleted, which discount looks off. Note that it examines the books, not the people.

−22%Money stolen from the store
+7%Weekly sales
per store
Published in Management Science (2015)

The interesting part: sales rose not because anyone was fired. The people were the same people; the way they worked changed.

4

Watching people:
hang a curtain
and it gets faster

A Harvard researcher ran an experiment at the world's second-largest mobile phone factory: hang a curtain across a few production lines so managers couldn't see what the workers were doing.

+10–15%
Output was higher on the lines with a curtain
Published in Administrative Science Quarterly (2012)

The reason: when watched, workers only dared to perform the official "standard moves" for you, and the faster little tricks they'd figured out went into hiding. Once the curtain was drawn, they dared to use them.

Put the two studies together: watch the results and people improve; watch the moves and people hide.

5

So good
"watching"
looks like this

1. Watch things, not peopleIs the trash can full, is anyone tending the fire, is the door shut
2. Nudge first"The trash is full, could someone empty it?" Not a mark against anyone
3. Look back only if something goes wrongNobody needs to stare at a screen day to day. When you must check, just find that one minute
6

A few things
it doesn't do

It doesn't grade anyone's moves,
and it doesn't watch customers It only cares whether "the job got done." Whether you cut the fatty meat or the lean meat first today, it doesn't care; and what the diners are doing is none of its business.
"Does installing this mean you don't trust me?"
It's watching the trash can,
not you.
Go ahead and use the quick methods you worked out yourself. The research says those are exactly what make the work better.
UP NEXT

Why Print a Reminder on Paper?

Notifications get swiped away; a slip of paper has to be finished. What hospital alerts and a WHO checklist teach us.

No. 27 · 3 minKeep going →
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