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Many Employers Are Using Tools To Monitor Their Staff's Web-browsing Patterns, Keystrokes, Social Media Posts (theguardian.com)

Posted by msmash on from the rising-concern dept.

Olivia Solon, reporting for The Guardian: How can an employer make sure its remote workers aren't slacking off? In the case of talent management company Crossover, the answer is to take photos of them every 10 minutes through their webcam. The pictures are taken by Crossover's productivity tool, WorkSmart, and combine with screenshots of their workstations along with other data -- including app use and keystrokes -- to come up with a "focus score" and an "intensity score" that can be used to assess the value of freelancers. Today's workplace surveillance software is a digital panopticon that began with email and phone monitoring but now includes keeping track of web-browsing patterns, text messages, screenshots, keystrokes, social media posts, private messaging apps like WhatsApp and even face-to-face interactions with co-workers. Crossover's Sanjeev Patni insists that workers get over the initial self-consciousness after a few days and accept the need for such monitoring as they do CCTV in shopping malls.

11 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. Well duh. by plopez · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Companies tend to be fascist institutions. You follow the leader, obey the hierarchy, and do what you are told. You have no input into how things work and are punished for deviating.

    --
    putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
    1. Re: Well duh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Or perhaps we could overthrow existing institutions, maybe severing a few heads in the process, and cease letting a few hoard wealth, power, and survival needs at the expense of the masses.

    2. Re:Well duh. by chuckugly · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Or just have well defined goals, work that needs done, and judge them on how well they actually get the work done. Novel, I know.

    3. Re: Well duh. by Train0987 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Ah, a socialist utopia. It's been tried several times and led to millions of deaths and human suffering on a scale difficult to imagine. But in your mind you'll be in charge this time so none of that matters...

  2. Rubbish by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    None of this is necessary. What's necessary is to set goals and then assess whether the goals are being achieved. If workers are on the clock, then you probably don't want them billing you if they're doing unrelated tasks. However, a good manager should have some idea how long tasks ought to take and be able to determine if the workers aren't productive. The surveillance is completely unnecessary. However, they are right about one thing. Just like Big Brother players, you tend to forget the surveillance is there after a few days.

    1. Re:Rubbish by olsmeister · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Ahhh, spotted the flaw in your logic immediately. You said 'good manager'. A good manager wouldn't use something like this.

    2. Re:Rubbish by arth1 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      A panopticon approach penalizes some of the best workers.
      Those who can do more in less time get penalized for "goofing off" when taking the breaks which is what makes them capable of doing more and better work in the first place. While someone who works slower but all the time is seen as more productive, even if doing less, or not getting a "mind clear" between tasks.
      Employers need to realize that they don't get to dictate every aspect of a person's life while at work - they're not slaves. They buy their work. If two people do the same work by the same company deadline, they deserve the same pay. If one finishes early and then goofs off, or can multitask and do his job just as well or better while at the same time reading news, that doesn't hurt the company.
      If the company wants more work because the employee appears to have spare time, they need to negotiate that with a proportionally higher pay compared to other, slower workers. Not just crack the whip, or the best workers will leave and you end up with the worst.

       

  3. This doesn't work for software development by nickjj · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A lot of freelance platforms have been doing this for years but it's not a reasonable solution.

    You can't measure development productivity based on trackable "focus" and "intensity" scores because a lot of that happens inside of your brain.

    I might decide to just stop what I'm doing and do 50 push ups while thinking about a problem, and then afterwards spend 10 minutes doing nothing from a camera's POV. In my mind, I'm churning through really complex data models and trying to make sense of it all which is absolutely focusing on the work at hand.

    1. Re:This doesn't work for software development by Baron_Yam · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I still solve a lot of problems off the clock, usually while on a drive when (other than attention required for driving) my mind can wander. I can spend hours at my desk, extremely focused, but go around in circles... and then during a trip to a satellite office the answer will come to me.

      Find a way to measure that!

      Much like wait and call timers for telemarketing firms (and shitty customer service cube farms), these systems are not for good companies... they're for shitty companies paying shitty wages for basic monkey work, and they want to make sure the monkeys are mashing keys.

  4. Bad, bad idea by Rastl · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Crossover’s Sanjeev Patni insists that workers get over the initial self-consciousness after a few days and accept the need for such monitoring as they do CCTV in shopping malls.

    “The response is ‘OK, I’m being monitored, but if the company is paying for my time how does it matter if it’s recording what I’m doing? It’s only for my betterment,’” he said

    .

    Bull pucky. Of course he's going to say that. He's the one trying to sell his product. And what employee is going to be honest and say "You're being a complete and utter dick for using this product." when they don't have their next gig already lined up?

    If I'm a freelancer and find out I'm going to be subject to measurement by keystrokes and random photographs then there's no way I'm taking that job. And I'll make sure to tell every other freelancer I know that this company is a bunch of controlling jerkwads.

    I have no issue with the company I work for monitoring and limiting internet access, keeping my company email on their server, etc. That's their right and their systems. But this is beyond the pale. Some random algorithm is telling my employer how 'productive' I am.

    If you can't trust your employees then hire new ones. If you can't trust yourself to manage a remote work force then get a job that has butts in seats so you can swagger through your drones and feel that you're providing leadership.

    If you can't tell I think this is a very poor solution to a niche problem.

  5. This kind of monitoring is for salary fraud only by tietokone-olmi · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The way the scam works is that whenever the Automated System says you weren't lined up correctly for your 10-minute mugshot, or your hands weren't on the keyboard for a large enough percent of the time, or something along those lines, the company docks your pay for that period. (Possibly also the one afterward.) Obviously the company doesn't reject the work done during that time, oh no -- that's for free.

    And good luck having that decision reviewed: your gig will be up as soon as you say "lawsuit". Any internal mechanism for the same goal will massively favour the employer.

    It's an IT sweatshop tool, that's what it is. No surprise that the proponent is subcontinental.