Dive Brief:
- Talent management company Crossover is upgrading its employee surveillance efforts by taking photos of them every 10 minutes through webcams, according to The Guardian. The company uses its "productivity tool," Worksmart, to take the photos and compile the images along with data collected on application use and keystrokes. The data is combined to create a "focus" and "intensity score," which is used to evaluate the "value of freelancers."
- Surveillance technology was traditionally used in the financial sector to prevent insider trading scandals but concerns around productivity, data security and harassment have invited the tech into other industries. Some employees, however, feel their privacy rights are violated by electronic surveillance, according to The Balance.
- However, close to 80% of companies admit to monitoring employees' emails, internet and phone records, reports ABC News. Of the approximately 1,600 surveyed organizations, more than 25% of companies have fired employees for "misusing" inappropriate email content or internet usage.
Dive Insight:
Workplace monitoring is easier than ever before with the troves of data coming in from email, keycards, communication platforms, social media and browser history. But are employees drawing the line?
Productivity is a primary concern for employers who feel their employees bring too much of their personal lives to the workplace. However, revenue loss is directly correlated to employee productivity as a week's worth of work is jeopardized just waiting on internet access.
Yet somehow, companies feel more inclined to pursue stronger surveillance initiatives. With the constant risk of cyberthreats present, it is well-known human error plays a primary role in security threats.
Cybercrimes have increased by 62% in just five years and about 20% of attacks are a result of former employees' actions. Nearly half of companies don't know if former employees' accounts have been deactivated.
And, of course, for those who just don't feel screenshots of their employees are enough, there is always microchipping.
