Does anyone here know if HSBC is still using this sapience software? I know they bought into this a couple of years ago.
Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
81–90 of 170 posts
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#82Stuff like this is common in the US. And newspapers are still amazed at why the socialist candidate is leading in the polls for one of the presidential election nominations. Honestly, there is no fix for this sort of thing except through the political system. Corporations will keep pushing the boundaries on maximizing worker productivity because their CEOs get massive bonuses for squeezing 1% more work out of terrifi…
With the corporations, you can go elsewhere. With the socialists, you can't leave.
> With the corporations, you can go elsewhere.
Typical quote from the 60s. This may be the reality for in-demand jobseekers in the current bubble, but it's typically not an option in the modern labor force.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#83This makes me wonder if there's ever been any studies done showing worker happiness over time at comparable jobs compared against the increasing rise of workplace surveillance over time. It would be interesting to see if there's any correlation between the two. I know personally i've always been happier and more productive at jobs when I don't have employers breathing down my neck and counting every second of work I do.
Humans need a level of autonomy and a small amount of freedom to 'fuck around' as it were. Not to the point where productivity starts to fall, but there's a balance between oppression and total freedom I feel creates the ideal working environment.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#84Earlier quoted context omitted.
What was the cost difference? Did the shrink reduction exceed the $3/hr raise in value but not by enough? Or was the raise not offset at all by the reduction?
> What was the cost difference? Doesn't matter. I bet it adversely affected someone's bonus and that was why it was scrapped.
What if instead of an extra $3/hr, the differential pay were an extra $10,000/hr? Obviously then the cost difference would matter. So, there must be a cutoff somewhere. Is the cutoff more than $3 or less than $3? We don't have enough information to know, nor do we have enough information to know whether upper management were just being comic book villains or whether their decision was based on crunching the numbers.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#85So, they basically treated people like low-level employees at a call center in the US? This sort of thing isn't actually new. Those cameras in retail stores are, first and foremost, used to track employee theft - including theft of company time spent talking to other employees. Are you a call center employee that has to go poop often that day or are 3 minutes late from break? Expect a call from HR for the bathroom br…
>Those cameras in retail stores are, first and foremost, used to track employee theft In my history, before finding my terminal career, I worked retail management. I worked for a chain that is no longer open, so I'm fairly certain I can say whatever I want about it now. I was fast-tracked for upper-level corporate management (I think it was the combination of not-giving-a-fuck based on depression and low-grade sociop…
I worked at a company during college who at the end of the year would give every employee a "Shrink" check depending how well/poor their store performed over the course of the year.
If you came in mid year they just pro rated the amount you would have gotten if you stayed the whole year.
I remember this helped employees keep an eye on each other as you were essentially stealing from everyone else's shrink check.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
It does happen in the US, and in banks, and not just low-level employees. Palantir sells the service. It has been used by JP Morgan for a few years: https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2018-palantir-peter-thiel In LOTR the Palantir is used by Sauron to corrupt and subdue Saruman by displaying visions of terror. Coincidentally a Palantir employee in collaboration with Cambridge Analytica were instrumental in the Republ…
Yes, but IIRC, the project was cancelled or greatly scaled back after Senior Management discovered that Palantir was also reading their emails and just not the drones in Sector 7G.
I almost spit out my coffee because I thought you were about to say: "Yes, but IIRC, the project was cancelled or greatly scaled back after Senior Management discovered that Sauron was also reading their emails and just not the orcs in Sector 7G.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#87Earlier quoted context omitted.
You don't treat reasonably your tools. That's how some companies see their employees.
You believe this?—ask any tradesman, mechanic or PE—"Take care of your tools and they will take care of you" is gospel in those fields. The same, then, should apply to "living tools" if your analogy obtains.
> "Take care of your tools and they will take care of you"
In my increasingly out of date experience in that area, this definitely applies to "don't leave your wrenches out in the yard overnight, dummy" but usually not so far as "don't use that as a pry bar". In either case though, if the tool breaks you toss it and move on...
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
What was the cost difference? Did the shrink reduction exceed the $3/hr raise in value but not by enough? Or was the raise not offset at all by the reduction?
Or does this simply show a cultural problem among upper-management types, where they exclusively use the stick over the carrot because it makes them feel powerful, important, and morally superior?
It's it just the management types? Plenty of users here in HN defend abusive practices like these just to save some money.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#89I am pretty sure this will come back just slightly modified. And other companies will do the same. It will be really hard to stop the trend toward total surveillance. It gets cheaper and cheaper every year and more capable.
What should be the response of workers?
Unionize and refuse to work under those conditions.
Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week
#90Stuff like this is common in the US. And newspapers are still amazed at why the socialist candidate is leading in the polls for one of the presidential election nominations. Honestly, there is no fix for this sort of thing except through the political system. Corporations will keep pushing the boundaries on maximizing worker productivity because their CEOs get massive bonuses for squeezing 1% more work out of terrifi…
With the corporations, you can go elsewhere. With the socialists, you can't leave.
Americans never feel trapped in their jobs and enjoy the highest mobility.