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Here’s how your boss might be spying on you at work

Woolworths, Amazon, and Uber have faced criticism for using technology to monitor employee productivity, and office workers are not exempt from this growing trend. 

‘Bossware’, which tracks activities like mouse movements and web browsing, is increasingly being used to monitor performance, raising questions about its impact on productivity.

So, what other workplaces might be monitoring their employees, and how are they doing it? 

On this episode of The Briefing, we sit down with Peter Holland, a professor of human resource management from Swinburne University, to discuss whether workplace surveillance makes us more productive.

According to recent studies, Australia ranks high in employee surveillance, with nearly 90 per cent of private companies implementing spyware, often without informing staff. 

Holland argues that constant monitoring can harm productivity by making employees overly focused on how they’re being monitored rather than on their work.

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“In fact, the research indicates that the more you monitor and surveil people, the more likely it is that they are going to be less productive,” Holland said.

He points out that surveillance practices, like those in major supermarkets monitoring efficiency, can distort measures of productivity, potentially leading to burnout or injuries among workers. 

“People have spoken about being bullied, they feel under pressure, and older workers are saying they’re picking up injuries. 

There are a lot of problems that can come from simply thinking, ‘this is a good idea, and we will do it.”

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