SUMMARY

• "Productivity paranoia" fuels increased demand for employee monitoring software amid the shift to remote and hybrid work.
• Modern software allows employers to see real-time desktop activity, with 80% of employers using monitoring tools.
• Employee surveillance can backfire, causing anxiety and negatively impacting productivity.

When Arjun Sharma realized his company laptop was equipped with Time Doctor, an employee monitoring tool, he didn't give it much thought. But when his manager started discussing "productivity reports" in their one-on-one meetings, things got a bit spooky. It's no secret that the shift to remote and hybrid work has sparked what Microsoft calls "productivity paranoia." With 85% of leaders struggling to believe their employees are productive, the demand for employee monitoring software has shot through the roof. Big Brother may not be watching, but your boss just might be.

Employee surveillance is nothing new, according to Kathryn Weaver, a partner at law firm Seyfarth. It's been around since the Industrial Revolution. However, its use has escalated in recent years, often under the pretense of workplace safety and confidentiality. Modern employee monitoring software allows employers to see everything happening on a worker's desktop in real-time—from keystrokes to browsing activity, emails, and chat apps. A whopping 80% of employers use such software, with 73% taking it a step further by recording staff calls, emails, or messages.

Companies like Veriato have experienced a sales boom due to the pandemic, with a 100% growth in the Asia Pacific region in 2022. One of their latest features uses "psycholinguistics" to help employers figure out if workers are happy at their jobs by analyzing their language use. But is this level of surveillance really helpful or just downright creepy?

While employee monitoring tools can increase a company's online security and reduce data breaches, they also have the potential to backfire. Employees who know they're being watched may feel more anxiety and pressure to work longer hours. A 2021 study even found that monitored employees were more likely to take unapproved breaks and purposely work at a slower pace. Jaya Dass, Randstad's managing director for Singapore and Malaysia, believes that employee monitoring software is a "breach of trust and personal privacy" and can ultimately undermine the benefits of remote work.

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