Dive Brief:
- A Wal-Mart program that used surveillance-based technology to monitor employee labor activism is, according to Alex Espenson, a recently retired business owner turned consultant, one of the worst HR programs ever conceived.
- To respond to the Organization United for Respect at Walmart, an activist group fighting for higher wages and other benefits, Wal-Mart hired Lockheed Martin, the defense contractor, to amass data about its employees, including monitoring employee’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, Espenson explained. Relevant information was forwarded to Walmart headquarters and then to the FBI, according to the article.
- Wal-Mart has not revealed whether the program is still in use, but it has publicly said the program existed.
Dive Insight:
Espenson's criticism of the Wal-Mart initiative is that it was driven by HR. "The decision by Walmart’s HR to contract with the FBI and Lockheed Martin appears to be one of the very worst decisions they could have made," he writes.
Espenson adds that Wal-Mart HR's decision is a "nightmare for HR because it severely undermines employee trust and loyalty to the company. Many believe that such a decision was a major abuse of power by Walmart."
In his view, Wal-Mart HR should have looked to divert the protests by creating or improving upon their conflict resolution policies. "HR recognizes that employees need to feel valued, motivated and dedicated to their company in order to be more productive," Espenson writes. "Creating processes and outlets for unsatisfied employees can prevent destructive outcomes and possibly even inspire new solutions."
