"The COVID-19 lockdown meant a surge in remote work, and the trend toward remote and hybrid workplaces has persisted long after the pandemic receded. That has changed the nature of workplace management as well. Bosses can't check for butts in seats or look over their employees' shoulders in the office to make sure they're working instead of having a LAN party. So they've turned to software tools to fill the gap."
"Employers have long been able to access electronic communications you conduct on their platforms, whether those are emails or direct messages. However, many employers don't snoop on your inbox unless there's an investigation, and some platforms make that more difficult than others. Slack Business+ and Enterprise, for example, require administrators to submit a formal request to Slack support if they want to view a user's private DMs."
"For paranoid managers who want next-level surveillance, installing bossware fits the bill. It can roll up employee activity into neat, graphical reports and charts, showing how much productive and unproductive time they've had based on what applications and websites they are using. Some bossware can even track keystrokes and mouse movements."
Remote and hybrid work persisted after the pandemic, changing workplace management and reducing direct observation of employees. Employers adopted bossware to monitor activity, tracking website visits, application use, and even gait and facial expressions for certain roles. Company platforms allow access to electronic communications, though many employers avoid routine inbox snooping and some services require formal requests to view private messages. Bossware aggregates data into reports that classify productive and unproductive time and can record keystrokes and mouse movements. Vendors present monitoring as a way to enforce accountability and enable remote work, while employees often find close surveillance unpleasant.
Read at Theregister
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]