As workers returned from the pandemic to in-office settings—and others remained in a working-remotely situation, there has been increasing attention paid to how and whether workers’ online activities are monitored or tracked by the companies they work for. Perhaps it’s come up in your office? Perhaps it’s going on and you’re not aware of it—or not to the extent that you could or should be.
The ’Forbes Advisor’ has looked into it, including a survey of workers’ attitudes toward monitoring and related issues. Here’s a sample of the Forbes findings:
“Considering that 25% of workers admit they pretend to be online while completing non-work related activities—maintaining productivity and security has become a paramount priority for employers with remote and hybrid workers.
That’s why Forbes Advisor asked hybrid and remote employees about how their company is monitoring their online activity. We looked into how workplace surveillance affects productivity, job satisfaction, and the types of activity being monitored.
We found that 43% of workers report having their online activity monitored by their employer—with 1 in 4 employees saying it makes them uncomfortable to be surveilled by their employer. “
Highlights from the Forbes Advisor report:
27% report that they would likely quit their job if their employer decided to monitor their online activity.
59% believe there are ethical concerns with monitoring an employee’s online activity.
68% of employees report there being at least one thing they’d be embarrassed to have their employer monitor.
39% report that their employer monitoring their online activity hurts their relationship with their employer and 43% say it negatively affects company morale.
60% of respondents report that online monitoring hurts their productivity and 36% say it negatively impacts their job satisfaction.
1 in 3 have had activity from their employer’s online surveillance used in their performance reviews.
18% report stress and anxiety from being monitored by their employer, while 16% report taking fewer breaks.
See the full Forbes report on Workplace Surveillance in 2024 here: https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/internet-surveillance-workplace/
