Flexible workplaces may come at the cost of increased surveillance
Monitoring technology requires regulated, secure and transparent data-sharing to maintain employee trust.
A more flexible work life requires visibility
Over 70 percent of employees and employers expect the share of total worktime carried out at home to increase by 2025. However, flexibility may come with a price of greater monitoring and control as employers require higher work visibility. Almost half of the employees think technological advancements will enable work from anywhere. Among them, 65 percent also think monitoring will be commonplace compared to 18 percent who do not. Without the possibility of direct communication with remote workers, the demand for remote surveillance and measurement tools has dramatically risen.
New types of monitoring tools are on the rise
According to Gartner 2022, the percentage of large employers using IT-enabled tools to track their employees has doubled to 60 percent since the start of the pandemic, and is anticipated to reach 70 percent in the next three years. Our study respondents also agree with the expected rise in work monitoring. The majority (70 percent) of decision-makers believe employee performance monitoring through technology will be standard soon and 51 percent think that high usage of ICT tools and services allows for closer monitoring of productivity and progress.
Many of these tools have been installed on work computers, with or without employee knowledge. Some of these tools may log keystrokes, apps used, number of emails sent, take screenshots or activate the employee’s web camera to record videos. For example, to monitor delivery van interiors to detect risky driving behavior. Embedded AI systems recognize if the driver is distracted by their phone or tiredness and can instantly send audio feedback telling the driver to keep their eyes on the road.
A California-based company, Prodoscore, that offers solutions for employee productivity and monitoring has seen a six-fold increase in sales since the start of the pandemic. Prodoscore monitors emails, work documents, calendar appointments, and can even transcribe internet-based phone calls.
Criticism and risks with uncontrolled data sharing
A report from the European Parliament called Data subjects, digital surveillance, AI and the future work states that the use of surveillance technologies may reduce autonomy and privacy and lead to greater work intensification. In line with this, 76 percent of decision makers in our study already acknowledge that they will take more measures to ensure the security and integrity of employee data. They also state that employer to employee relationships may suffer, and employees may lose trust in their organization if monitoring is imposed without proper communication and transparency. Concealing monitoring is seen as the most damaging to the employee trust.
As an example, it has been debated if Microsoft 365 can be used to track employee activities at an individual level to find those who participate less in group chat conversations, send fewer emails, or fail to collaborate in shared documents.
One upside of monitoring is observing employee wellbeing and burnout while also contributing to coaching and mentoring. Employers are implementing various wellbeing apps to encourage good sleep, mindfulness, training, fitness and a healthy diet.
Nevertheless, as illustrated in the Ericsson IndustryLab report, negative views from employees depend on the type of data collected (Figure 3). For instance, employees perceive location data and video recordings as more intimidating, making manufacturing a good example for other sectors due to its high degree of digitalization and automation.
