09 Jul Is Big Brother Watching?
This year marks 40 years since the futuristic time setting of George Orwell’s classic 1984. Originally published in 1949, it is amazing that there was a book with the main theme of “one’s actions and intentions are being monitored by the government as a means of controlling and suppressing the will of the populace” all those years ago. There was a reference to spy cameras and advanced technology. The intent of referencing this iconic novel and its meaning is not to integrate politics into this blog (I know better than that) but instead to attempt to relate it to E&O.
While I certainly don’t believe that Big Brother is watching you in your agency, there is probably an element of oversight that is occurring. Isn’t auditing a form of oversight? You know that any given month, one or more of your files could get reviewed to determine compliance on a wide range of issues. Does your immediate manager periodically review your file diaries to see if you effectively manage your workload? Has your agency ever initiated a special project to gauge to what extent a key task is being performed? I am aware of one agency that reviewed all new business to determine whether the proper exposure analysis checklist was being completed (there were consequences when it was not). So, while I hope your agency does not have cameras in place, there is probably an atmosphere/culture in which your actions are monitored. It is not that the agency does not trust you (I am sure they do); it is more of an element of “trust, but verify.” This is healthy and should result in a culture of agency expectations being met and sustainable positive results.
To what extent are one’s actions determined or influenced by the premise that they are being monitored? This is probably different for each person, so the bottom line is I am not sure. Maybe it is one’s conscience that plays more of a role, that inner feeling that acts as a guide to the “rightness or wrongness” of one’s behavior. It’s the devil on the left shoulder and the angel on the right. Which one will you listen to when a decision or an action needs to happen?
What does this have to do with E&O? Actually, a fair amount. When decisions need to be made, hopefully, the angel voice will be louder or resonate more with you, and the right action will occur. When the devil wins out, and agency procedures or expectations are not met, mistakes can happen, leading to clients suffering unfortunate consequences, which can lead to an E&O claim. So whether Big Brother is watching or not, hopefully, your conscience will guide you on what is right and wrong.