A third of UK employers use ‘bossware’ to track staff

A third of UK employers are using ‘bossware’ to track their employees, according to a survey by the Chartered Management Institute.

‘Bossware’ covers a range of tools and activities from monitoring emails to reviewing screen activity, and the CMI’s poll suggests the practice has grown substantially in recent years.

The CMI found that employers monitoring staff were doing so on employer-owned devices – 36% were on-site, 32% hybrid; and 30% remote. One in seven employers are recording or reviewing screen activity, and 35% are monitoring emails.

The most popular form of monitoring employees was tracking log-in and log-off times. Just over a third (36%) looked at employees’ browser history.

More than half of managers (53%) supported monitoring employees’ activities on employer-owned devices, but 42% opposed it.

Those who opposed it felt it undermined trust, and they did not feel there was any connection to performance improvement, and they felt it was an invasion of privacy.

Almost eight in 10 (79%) thought monitoring employees would undermine trust.

Those in favour of it argued that it helped to prevent misuse of systems (56%), protected sensitive data (55%) and ensured compliance with regulations (42%)

One in six said they would consider looking for a new job if their organisation started monitoring employees’ online work activities. The practice was more common in larger, private sector employers.

In October 2023, the Information Commissioner’s Office published research showing that almost a fifth (19%) of employees felt they had been monitored by an employer.

The ICO called on employers to consider their legal obligations and workers’ rights before implementing monitoring in the workplace, but there has been an upsurge in organisations tracking behaviour aligned with stricter return-to-office mandates.

For example, PwC has introduced a traffic-light dashboard to monitor employees’ attendance in the office, and staff who breach its policy could face formal sanctions.

HSBC has also warned that office attendance will be linked to employees’ variable pay, with attendance closely monitored.

Petra Wilton, director of policy and external affairs at CMI, said: “Implementing online surveillance is the organisation’s decision, but fostering an environment where employees feel trusted and respected is essential for maximising productivity.

“Effective management depends on trust, fairness and confidence. If online monitoring is used, organisations should be transparent and openly communicate what is being tracked and the reasons behind it.

“Surveillance should not undermine trust or replace effective, personal performance metrics. Leading organisations are transparent, honest and focus on constructive feedback to help employees perform their best.”

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