Analysis

By s1jobs

It’s been a challenging year for all those micro-managers out there who rely on appearances rather than results to gauge employee performance. Unable to apply the usual visual checks on bums in seats, organisations are increasingly turning to technology for extra insight on what their home-based workforce is up to.

In a recent survey by the TUC, one in seven people reported that their employers have increased the use of employee monitoring since the onset of the pandemic. More than a quarter – 27 per cent – said they have had workplace communications screened, while 13% had experienced desktop monitoring.

Worryingly, less than a third of those surveyed said they had been consulted about such moves. This raises a raft of legal pitfalls around data protection and the right to privacy.

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Some newer software deploys facial recognition to track whether an employee is online, or has taken long breaks away from the computer. Until it was toned down last week following a public backlash, Microsoft 365’s new “Productivity Score” tool was generating 73 pieces of granular data about worker behaviour, all available under each employee’s name in a handy dashboard format.

In cases where security is a concern, employers will have legitimate reasons for stepping up surveillance. However, they must be able to prove their actions are necessary and proportionate, and in all circumstances they must be transparent about what they’re doing. Other than cases where there is a suspicion of criminal activity, secret monitoring is unlikely to be justified.

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In addition to the very real legal perils, any excessive invasion of privacy is also far more likely to hinder, rather than improve, productivity and morale. If surveillance is deemed too intrusive, trust will be destroyed. On top of that, it will increase stress and anxiety levels among many workers, eroding performance.

Employers should recognise that the unprecedented circumstances brought about by the pandemic will naturally impact productivity to a certain extent. If there are concerns that an individual’s performance has fallen below what’s expected, there are less intrusive ways that are likely to yield better results, such as approaching them directly to get a better understanding of what is hindering them.

If considering monitoring, reflect on this: a recent YouGov survey of 2,000 UK employers found almost half reported an increase in employee loyalty since the start of the pandemic. If yours is one of those firms, is it worth putting that at risk?