Measuring employee productivity is crucial for ensuring proper compensation and appraisal. It appears this task was more manageable when it was common practice for most employees to work from physical offices.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to adopt work-from-home (WFH) arrangements — with the hybrid model becoming increasingly more common — necessitating the use of employee surveillance techs aka "Bossware" to monitor productivity virtually.
These technologies range from simple time trackers to screen capture software, and even extreme measures like always-on webcams during work hours.
What are some concerns associated with the use of employee surveillance technologies?
While important for quality assurance purposes, these tools can breed distrust between employees and managers, especially when employees are not explicitly informed about them.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella refers to this obsession with employee surveillance as "Productivity Paranoia" and advises that instead of resorting to surveillance, leaders should create a space where employees can thrive. Besides, surveillance of this kind has raised privacy concerns.
A content moderator working from Lagos for a foreign platform says she has to remain active on her laptop so she is not denied her hourly wage.
"It's almost impossible to take a break because they are tracking my keyboard activities."
She, however, confirmed that she consented to installing monitoring software on her PC. These types of software track active, idle, and offline times and take intermittent desktop screenshots to show what the employee is working on per time and record how much time is spent on certain apps or websites. She admits it's all very stressful, and sometimes makes her anxious.
With increased adoption of monitoring came ways to game the system. To circumvent these monitoring tools, employees have devised systems to simulate activity on their devices, a move companies frown upon as unacceptable. These systems deceive monitoring software by mimicking website and app usage, tracking keystrokes, and mouse clicks.
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Recently, Bloomberg reported that Wells Fargo fired several employees for simulating keyboard activity and pretending to work.
The use of hardware and software called mouse movers or jigglers became common during the pandemic. Some employees even went as far as running code to keep their computers busy while they were away.
One potential downside is that using these devices or software may require downloading unauthorised applications on company devices, which poses many risks.
Since employees find ways to circumvent monitoring systems, does surveillance positively affect productivity?
One employer believes it is unnecessary because productivity is a better metric to measure than activity, especially when other things deserve attention.
"Are they clear on their objectives? What are their deliverables? Do they deliver on time?"
Another employer says supervision is important if the expectation is quality output. The counterargument is this can also be controlled if the employees are properly trained.
What types of surveillance tech do employers use?
Keystroke logging or keylogging involves tracking every keystroke made on a computer. The tech records everything the user types, including documents and emails.
Employers use keyloggers to monitor employee productivity and quickly detect and record any unauthorised activity.
But since it can capture sensitive information like passwords, it raises privacy concerns in case the company's data is not properly secured and there's a breach.
Depending on the configuration, screen-capturing technology takes periodic screenshots of an employee’s computer screen. The captured images are sent to the employer for review, providing a visual record of the employee's activities.
Although the frequency can be adjusted by the employer, it can still feel invasive to employees.
Activity monitoring software tracks the active and idle times on an employee’s computer.
This is common with collaboration tools and time/attendance tracking software. It logs when the computer is being used and when it is idle, often gauging productivity levels.
This data helps employers understand how employees spend their time and identify any patterns of inactivity that might indicate disengagement or inefficiency.
Interestingly, global workplace productivity and collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, and Zoho One can also gather detailed information such as chats, emails, meetings, log in and log out times, among others that can be accessed by managers.
Webcam surveillance uses webcams or PC cameras to monitor employees during work hours. This can involve live streaming or recording video to ensure employees are working.
While it will be considered highly invasive for the employer to turn it on remotely, employees might be required to have their webcams on during work hours, capturing real-time footage. Still, this level of surveillance can lead to significant discomfort.
Are there Nigerian HR companies developing employee surveillance tech?
Yes, some Nigerian HR tech startups like SeamlessHR, Cadana, HumanManager, Xceed365, and Bento incorporate monitoring features into their platforms. However, it is majorly in terms of activity monitoring through time and attendance tracker features.
What are the legal implications of using surveillance technologies?
Globally, there are principles that guide employee privacy, including privacy rights. Employee privacy rights are the rules that limit how extensively an employer can monitor a person's actions, speech, or correspondence and know about their personal lives, especially in the workplace.
In Nigeria, the legality of using such surveillance tech isn't directly addressed within the labour laws. This means that employers can search company computers and devices at will because employee privacy expectations are subjective.
Legal practitioner, Michael Iwuoha, emphasises that employers must request for employees' authorisation or consent before monitoring them, especially when they are using their personal devices.
He also points out the possibility that work devices would usually have some of these monitoring software preinstalled and advises employees to be careful when using them. He agrees that remote surveillance tech can be used to improve productivity without being intrusive.
What measures can employers take to ethically monitor employees?
- Communicate clearly about monitoring practices.
- Obtain informed consent from employees.
- Use surveillance minimally and focus on results rather than micromanagement.
- Ensure data security and privacy.
What are some alternatives to intrusive surveillance for maintaining productivity?
- Set clear goals and expectations.
- Regular check-ins, feedback sessions, and appraisals.
- Encourage self-reporting and accountability.
- Use project management tools to track progress.
The employee surveillance waters can get murky if not carefully navigated, with careful attention paid to privacy and ethics. The onus is on employers and managers to find a balance between productivity and privacy in the hybrid work era.
