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Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#111

Post by Symbiote »

crmrc114 wrote: post #52
uk_programmer wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This actually happens a lot in call centres. This is why I am very polite to those on the phones because I know they are likely to be working in a horrid office.

At least in the US I know a number of call centers that have been sued into bankruptcy for attempting to use phone agent login status as a timeclock. The worst of these were telling staff that they had to login to their computers and get everything ready on their own time... then they would be paid once they logged in... On another note, I feel that such abuses really need to start to incur jail time for management s…

I know very little about the environment in British call centres, but many call centres used by British companies are in India.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#112

Post by megablast »

Loughla wrote: post #19
Broken_Hippo wrote: post #8

So, 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…

There is no guarantee after a few months this wouldn't go back to the way it was. Too often people think the change will affect permanent behaviour, when change itself affects behaviour.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#113

Post by megablast »

pietrovismara wrote: post #36
sidlls wrote: post #26

Earlier 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?

In the end who cares, everyone would have been way happier without resorting to big brothery solutions and solving anyway he problem. But no, we gotta chase that additional profit at the cost of any other metric!

I mean, the business cares how much profits they make. If it was cost effective, it is easier to justify moving it to other stores.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#114

Post by megablast »

refurb wrote: post #109
BubRoss wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This makes me wonder what the numbers are for Costco, who pays their employees very well.

Kind of hard to sneak out a 20 lb rack of ribs or 50 lb bag of rice.

Not really, put it in the bin, collect outside later. And how is that any different to other stores? Does costco not sell chocolate or tampons or things that are easy to steal? Even if in big packages, break it open, it goes out the back.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#115

Post by megablast »

ska wrote: post #33
thaumasiotes wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure "Want a raise? Start stealing!" is the greatest incentive structure...

Otoh "Want employee loyalty? Start treating them reasonably." probably is.

> Start treating them reasonably

This is stupid though. Is $3 more treating them reasonably? Where is that definition?

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#116

Post by megablast »

uk_programmer wrote: post #18
quelltext wrote: post #12

> "Managers would never get away with breathing down employee's necks, personally monitoring their screens or logging toilet and water breaks," They wouldn't? Isn't that reality for a lot of workers?

This actually happens a lot in call centres. This is why I am very polite to those on the phones because I know they are likely to be working in a horrid office.

I am polite to all people because it is the right thing to do, I don't even worry about whether they have a horrid office or no.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#117

Post by Scoundreller »

refurb wrote: post #109
BubRoss wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This makes me wonder what the numbers are for Costco, who pays their employees very well.

Kind of hard to sneak out a 20 lb rack of ribs or 50 lb bag of rice.

Could just scan out your friends and “miss” scanning some items for a cut.

Or “overlook” their 20lb of ribs scanning as 20lb of rice.

Can’t do it entirely because of the exit checks, but the checks aren’t 100%.

Though when buying a gift card, they don’t let you pick it off the rack: you get a receipt to ask someone else.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#118

Post by kbutler »

quadrifoliate wrote: post #82
kbutler wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Show me the machine guns. It may be difficult to leave - mostly because of what you give up, and the disruption in your life - but nobody is going to shoot you if you try.

Socialist regimes larger than a kibbutz have always been established and maintained by force.

Our current economic system is not perfect, but the results over decades are infinitely better than other systems - particularly socialism.

https://fee.org/articles/extreme-poverty-rates-plummet-under... https://reason.com/2019/01/31/global-poverty-decline-deniali...

Contrast with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_killings_under_communist_... 10s to 100s of millions killed under socialist governments, both direct and also as a result of failures of the central planning. This includes mass killings in Castro's Cuba, USSR, and Nicaragua, whose governments were each endorsed in the 80s by Bernie Sanders. Mischaracterizing non-socialist economies like Denmark is probably a better strategy.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#119

Post by refurb »

speedgoose wrote: post #77
fennecfoxen wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You can't fire these people" is also the standard in France. Also standard: a stagnant economy (~0.25% GDP growth on 0.18% population growth) and sky-high youth unemployment (20-25%).

You can definitely fire people in France. I don't know how you got the idea you can't. Also quality of life is perhaps more important than these numbers. People don't care about the GDP growth, don't want to have artifical employment with terrible and badly paid jobs (looking at you Germany), and prefer to eat good food for 2 hours.

People don't care about the GDP growth

They most certainly do when thinking about about the social programs GDP funds.

Re: Barclays scraps 'Big Brother' staff tracking system within one week

#120

Post by jandrese »

Mountain_Skies wrote: post #61
Loughla wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not when everyone is classed as Exempt staff and therefore ineligible for Overtime.

It's weird that exempt employees can be required to clock in and out. My current employer does this but claims it for tracking capital vs operational expenses and has nothing to do with productivity or policy enforcement. I'm rather skeptical. One thing is for sure, the definition of what constitutes an exempt employee has expanded far beyond its original intent.

I'm exempt and have to do a timecard because of how we bill projects internally.
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