Employee surveillance is not new, but the methods of keeping track of workers’ every move have become more sophisticated and intrusive as technology advances. What does this mean for employees, and what are the implications if ‘bossware’ becomes the new norm?
Does your manager know that you are watching this video now?
Micromanagers have long existed in workplaces. But as companies grapple with rising costs and shrinking budgets, some employers want to be sure their employees are as productive as possible.
And sometimes, they do so with the help of monitoring software.
While employee monitoring software can see everything on one’s desktop in real-time — keystrokes, browsing activity, emails, and chat apps — some may be taking surveillance to the extreme.
In China, for example, such intrusive behaviors include installing cameras in toilets, using artificial intelligence tools to flag employees looking for new jobs, and emotion-recognition systems that can assess how “happy” workers are in the office.
What are the implications if employee surveillance becomes the new norm?
Watch the video above to learn why surveillance may backfire on companies, whether existing laws are enough to protect workers’ privacy – and how one young employee is fighting back.
