The new world of work isn’t all about power to the people, flexibility to work at home, and Kumbaya. You have to keep on your toes in the new world of work.
Big Brother may be watching. There’s more monitoring of how you spend
your day such as virtual clock in and out, tracking work computer usage and
monitoring emails and other internal communications through surveillance
software.
It’s “The Rise of the Worker Productivity Score,” according to Jodi Kanto and Arya Sundaram in the New York Times, August 15, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html
“Across industries and incomes, more employees are being tracked, recorded and ranked,” according to NYT reporting.
Worker productivity surveillance fosters productivity and accountability says companies using surveillance softer. It’s inhumane and inaccurate say many employees. The problem is that most of the surveillance software doesn’t track offline activity like mentoring, thinking, writing on paper, or talking with colleagues. Unless you constantly jiggle your mouse in meetings or other off-line activities, you’re just labeled as “derelict” in many systems. (Check out TikTok for videos on fooling the trackers.)
As timeless wisdom says, “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that is counted counts (attributed to Albert Einstein).
Watch out if you are using devices provided by your company. Best to
have personal conversations and activities on your own devices.
The metamorphosis of the workplace can make anyone feel uneasy. We
have to accept that change is no longer unusual, it’s the rule.
Transformation is the new status quo. You can’t rely on the company to
take care of you. That went away with the gold watch upon retirement. Most
companies are fighting for their own survival anyway.
You have to take care of yourself. #surveillance #employeesurveillance #workerproductivity