Your employer is watching: How surveillance is undermining the future of work

In the contemporary world of hybrid work, employers are navigating uncharted waters where traditional office boundaries have blurred. This transition has triggered a wave of anxiety among employers, leading some to resort to surveillance measures. While meant to assure productivity, recent evidence points to these Big Brother tactics as not only ineffective but potentially detrimental to productivity and morale.

According to a Glassdoor involving 2,300 North American professionals, 41 per cent reported feeling less productive when monitored. This sentiment is strongly felt among workers in finance and tech sectors, where surveillance negatively impacts output. Companies like JPMorgan and Barclays Bank have tracked everything from employees’ sent emails to keyboard strokes.

This trend, driven by a productivity paranoia in a half empty office landscape, is a knee jerk reaction, not a thoughtful solution. While 96 per cent of remote first employers have monitored their employees, the primary reason given is to increase productivity. But the data tells a different story. Surveillance is exacerbating stress, eroding trust and hindering performance.

It’s akin to buying a racehorse and then hobbling it with fetters; the result is a workforce that’s hindered, not helped. More insights into the ineffectiveness of employee surveillance come from published in the Harvard Business Review. In the first experiment of more than 100 North American employees, some were monitored and some not.

The findings were quite striking: those monitored were more likely to engage in various rule breaking behaviours. In the second experiment, half of 200 North American employees were told they were under electronic surveillance. Astonishingly, those who believed they were being monitored were more likely to cheat.

This paradoxical response underscores a profound misalignment between the intended and actual effects of surveillance. It suggests that surveillance can undermine employees’ sense of moral agency, leading them to act contrary to their moral standards. These revelations underscore the importance of fostering a work environment that values autonomy and trust over surveillance.

In the hybrid work era, leaders must strike the right balance between oversight and autonomy. Leaning too heavily on surveillance can lead to unintended consequences. Perhaps the most significant flaw in the surveillance approach is the false equivalency between presence (physical or digital) and productivity.

Quality of work is not determined by keystrokes or hours logged. True productivity is about results, achievable when employees feel trusted and valued, rather than policed and scrutinized. In the hybrid work era, employers need to shift their mindset. Rather than focusing on surveillance, they should aim to cultivate a culture of trust, mutual respect and autonomy.

Strategies such as setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback and encouraging open communication can foster this environment. In this trust based environment, employees are likely to feel more engaged, motivated and, ultimately, productive. The future of hybrid work should not be a dystopian landscape of constant surveillance and eroded trust.

Instead, we need to foster environments where individuals are empowered and trusted to perform their best. The hybrid model offers a golden opportunity to reshape traditional work norms and practices. It’s a chance to build better, more trusting workplaces, rather than succumbing to productivity paranoia and surveillance overkill.

In the end, the choice is clear. We can either stumble into a future of fear driven surveillance or stride confidently into a new era of trust, autonomy and human centric work practices. The success of our hybrid work endeavours hinges on this critical decision. We must recognize that employees are the company’s greatest asset.

By trusting them and treating them as responsible adults, we can unlock their full potential. As I tell the companies I consult for in helping them figure out , surveillance might offer the illusion of control, but it’s trust, respect and personal responsibility that will truly drive businesses forward..