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Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

bloomberg.com

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Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#331

Post by zelon88 »

I got hit with something similar the other day. The funny part is; I have systems in place to document everything I do as part of compliance. Plus it just makes my job easier. There's nothing worse than solving the same problem twice.

Lately my employer has been so on edge they want me to document the work I'm doing. So basically they want me to perform some work, document that for compliance purposes, and then document that I worked and documented it again just so someone can read it in their inbox instead of the self serve help desk. It's insanity.

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#332

Post by haydonchurchill »

Is this really that bad? A little creepy I guess. But with remote work, you do want to have at least some system in place to make sure people are actually working.

At my business we all track our hours (me included) and the app takes screenshots of the screen every 15 minutes. It's really in case there is a problem. Not like I have time to check it / watch my employees work. It's more of an invisible system that keeps people honest. Plus it gives me peace of mind so I don't have to worry if people are working or not. I think it helps me micromanage less.

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#333

Post by cortesoft »

koheripbal wrote: post #199
cortesoft wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, I think bosses who freak out about people not being productive while working from home underestimate how much people can avoid being productive while physically at work.

...at the same time - it can be pretty difficult to remain focused at home, especially if you also have kids at home because their schools are closed. I doubt my efficiency is approaching even 50% of what it was a month ago. Everyone is different.

Oh, I am not productive at all right now because I have two young kids at home with me. I am at maybe 5% of my normal productivity.

You don't need an app to know that. I tell my boss every day.

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#334

Post by Izkata »

sloppycee wrote: post #249
trhway wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I'm surprised cubicles get so much hate. cubicles were a step down from individual offices, and was the manifestation of commoditization of the software engineering. The transition from cubicles to open offices was the part of that process going even further. Basically blue collar workers of 196x on a large factory floor. One would think that we've reached the peak of bad offices ... Well, i think some form of verti…

Some companies are already doing the 'hot desking' thing. In ~2017 I did a contract with Ericsson, in their offices they had no assigned desks. Some days you'd show up in the morning and find another team had moved into your space, claiming that some other team had taken theirs. In those days we became desk refugees, wandering halls to find/take a space large enough for the team.

Mine has been hot-desking since we moved offices in 2013. There's general areas each department is supposed to stick to, but no enforcement - the groups are constantly encroaching on and intermingling with the neighboring ones.

The next stage, that we reached around 2016/2017, is "we're running out of seats; everyone should work from home one day a week to alleviate the problem". Good when you're at home, but the rest of the week becomes even more chaotic because you can't predict what the available seats will be like day-to-day.

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#335

Post by chrismcb »

tzm wrote: post #78
3fe9a03ccd14ca5 wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No where is this a criminal offense in the USA. In fact, “spy software” installed on company computers is widely common.

Spying on your employee, or using covert monitoring tactics, is rarely legal. Not sure on the criminality, but privacy laws are enforceable. Also, there's a distinction between monitoring and spying. Ex: California Social Media Law (2013) https://readwrite.com/2013/01/15/californias-new-privacy-law...

I'm not sure how that article claims that spying is illegal. Typically it isn't illegal for a company to monitor is own equipment. That article says they can't force you to divulge your social media password. Most companies prohibit you from doing personal stuff on your work computer. I'm not saying it is right, but I don't know if any laws in America that make it illegal.

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#336

Post by anoncake »

gambiting wrote: post #90
lodovic wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The toilet is company equipment, too.

There is an expectation of privacy when using the bathroom though. There isn't when using a company issued computer, your employeer controls all the software on it, controls the network traffic - why would anyone have an expectation that what they use it for remains private? It's like there's no expectation of privacy when using an industrial lathe - it's meant for a specific purpose, if you use it for private purpos…

> expectation of privacy

US law is irrelevant outside the US

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#337

Post by anoncake »

lovich wrote: post #279
cookie_monsta wrote: post #247

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good lord, does there have to be a startup for everything? Enter office. See empty desk. Sit at desk. Work. Done.

The solutions are more along letting you check in/check out so others can find where you are in a given day.

So it's finger?

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#338

Post by monkeyshelli »

gambiting wrote: post #51
numlock86 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is illegal pretty much at least everywhere within the EU.

I live in the EU and I cannot think of a single law where the employeer cannot take screenshots of the machines they own. I'll be happily proven wrong though.

In Finland:

https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/web/en/employment-relationship/rig...

https://www.tyosuojelu.fi/web/en/employment-relationship/rig...

Take a screenshot while the employee is reading his/her personal email and the union takes you to court faster than you can say a cat :)

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#339

Post by nineteen999 »

qwerty456127 wrote: post #106
sbarre wrote: post #6

This happened to me years ago. I was put in an empty office at the opposite end from my boss, and because he couldn't walk up behind me to see me working, he secretly installed a program on my computer that took a screenshot every 30 seconds (or so?). I quickly noticed that my computer was hitching regularly (when the screenshot was taken - this was in the late 90s BTW), and so investigated my computer on a day when…

> because he couldn't walk up behind me to see me working, he secretly installed a program on my computer that took a screenshot every 30 seconds > The irony was that I was probably the most productive person in that office (in my humble opinion). The easiest and the most efficient way to ruin my productivity is to look at my screen. I can't work (nor can I pee - a funny coincidence, that's called "paruresis") when s…

My touch typing goes to pieces whenever somebody is watching for some bizarre reason. It's like my fingers get self conscious and start tripping over themselves. I'm normally a 75-80 WPM typist.

Re: Bosses panic-buy spy software to keep tabs on remote workers

#340

Post by ApolloRising »

duxup wrote: post #173
code4tee wrote: post #27

We had a bad manager at my last company who really wanted to do this sort of thing. I said to him “So this is an interesting proposal... if we install this software then I can save on management costs by replacing your position with this spyware?” He never brought it up again and we later just got rid of him completely. Micromanagement and this sort of spying rarely builds high performing teams. Managing worker produ…

I ran into this once: Another team (team A) needed a lot of help and my team (Team B) was 'similar'. So we were brought on to help despite Team A's objections that we surely couldn't do the job. So we went to work and were out performing them from day 1. Team A's management was not happy and was sure we were somehow 'gaming the system'. They had all sorts of ways and theories on how Team B must be doing it and convin…

What happened at the end to team A?
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