Emerging Privacy Concerns In The New Workspace

No one really knows what the post-lockdown workplace environment will look like. Many are speculating that a large chunk of people will continue to work remotely from home even after it's deemed "safe" to return to the brick and mortar world of cubicles and coffee rooms. After all, for many organizations, productivity has held steady during the pandemic—and even increased for some.

Of course, one of the reasons employers know this is through the application of monitoring software that measures each employee's effectiveness as they work from home in their sweatpants and fluffy slippers. Many civil libertarians are beginning to raise privacy concerns about this monitoring process. Is it really ethical for your boss to measure how many keystrokes you're pounding out, or how often you visit social media sites between actual "work" stints? Of course, employers have a right to know how productive their employees are—but when does measurement turn into surveillance?

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, studies showed that many workers felt uncomfortable about the idea of workplace monitoring. Studies also showed that workers were concerned that they had no control over these measures. Employees who feel helpless and vulnerable are—in the long run—going to be less productive. In the new workplace environment—be it remote or on-site—employers need to reach out to their employees before implementing monitoring measures potentially perceived as intrusive.

It is prudent and just plain smart for employers to talk to employees about the nature and extent of productivity measurement techniques. Surveys, focus groups, or one-on-one interviews can help employers identify potential areas of concern and help develop consensus. The brave new world of the post-lockdown workspace will be challenging, but it will be far less so with good information.