Employers are watching people through their webcams to check they are working
Employers are watching people through their webcams to check they are working (Image: Getty Images)
NEWS
POLITICS
FOOTBALL
CELEBS
TV
MONEY
ROYALS
BySophie HuskissonPolitical Correspondent
16:00, 26 Mar 2023
|
13
|
BOOKMARK
Workers feel too “paranoid” or “guilty” to go to the toilet or stand up from their desk all day because of “draconian” webcam surveillance, a report will reveal tomorrow.
Employees are increasingly being treated “like robots” with bosses watching them through their laptop cameras or timing them when they go to the toilet, according to research by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR).
The think-tank said a “rapid adoption” of workplace surveillance over the pandemic saw a surge in tactics such as screen recording and mouse tracking.
Tech firms have even developed webcam monitoring that detects whether a person has a tense mouth or how intently somebody is staring at a screen to assess whether they are concentrating, the report found.
Foodbanks fear they will run out of supplies for hungry families as crisis bites
Amazon tracks the amount of time workers spend in the toilet or talking to other colleagues, the report highlighted
Amazon tracks the amount of time workers spend in the toilet or talking to other colleagues, the report highlighted ( Image: Getty Images)
Some companies are using software that takes photos of workers through their laptop camera every one to five minutes, while others are tracking people’s social media usage both in and out of work.
One focus group participant told the IPPR they felt “guilty for the smallest things, like going to the toilet…just taking a breather for like five minutes”.
“You just feel like someone’s watching you… So I find myself, when I’m working from home, I don’t stand up and I just stay in my seat the whole time.
“You’re just really paranoid with it even though you’re not doing anything bad, you are getting things done – but it sort of puts the fear inside you and I don’t like that,” they said.
Another said they’d receive threats from their “draconian manager”, who would say things like “we’ll get the cameras on you”.
The report also highlighted Amazon’s in-person surveillance tactics, which include tracking the amount of time workers spent in the toilet or talking to another colleague.
Workplace surveillance surged over the pandemic – but it hasn’t gone away
Workplace surveillance surged over the pandemic – but it hasn’t gone away ( Image: Getty Images)
Almost three in 10 UK workers agree that monitoring and surveillance at work has increased since the pandemic, according to a Trades Union Congress poll.
But the IPPR said it only provides a “snapshot” and urged for more data to be collected.
It also recommended the Government establish “a single enforcement body for employment rights” – as outlined in the Conservative Party manifesto but yet to be seen.
Henry Parkes, senior economist at IPPR and the report’s author, said: “Dystopian worker surveillance techniques have exploded in popularity since the pandemic, becoming normalised and seeping into an increasing number of industries.
“However, regulation to safeguard employees has not kept up with the pace of this.
“Young people, women and black workers are likely to be disproportionately affected negatively by worker surveillance and as it stands, the law is not keeping up with reality.
“This could have disastrous consequences for the mental and physical wellbeing of the workforce. The government must urgently review what is acceptable.”
Fury as 49-day PM Liz Truss ‘gives peerages to people who plunged UK into chaos’
Woman quits her job to devote herself in finding her missing French bulldog
Shadow Minister for Employment Rights and Protections Justin Madders said: “The Tories are stuck in the past and have neglected working people for far too long.
“Rights at work must keep pace with the changing nature of work and technology, which is why our New Deal for Working People will update employment rights so they are fit for the modern economy.
“The next Labour Government will introduce protections for workers from remote surveillance being used without consent and bring in the ‘right to switch off’ outside of working hours.”
Laurence Turner, GMB union’s Head of Policy and Research, said: “Amazon subjects workers to extreme surveillance.
“The company collects vast amounts of data and imposes punishing productivity targets without transparency or accountability.
Employment rights as clocks go forward – and why you might have to work an hour later
“Amazon has even monitored workers’ private Facebook groups.
“It’s no surprise this dystopian approach has left the company facing a real recruitment and retention problem.
“It’s time that Amazon listened to workers and recognised GMB so that we can make the company a happy and safe place to work.”
A Government spokeswoman said: “We have a strong track record in protecting and enhancing workers’ rights across the UK.
“Employers must operate in compliance with GDPR laws and must assess whether the collection of employees’ data is proportionate to a specific, explicit and legitimate purpose.”
