The tech industry has an unhealthy obsession with “optimizing” productivity — hell-bent on fortifying their focus by gulping pills, fasting, and tinkering with their sleep schedules.
So, it should come as no surprise that employers are increasingly using a number of tools to monitor and surveil their employees’ work habits.
The Guardian reports that American companies “aren’t required by law” to admit they’re watching you — and, frankly, it’s never been easier.
There’s Crossover, a tool that monitors focus by taking photos of remote workers every 10 minutes through a webcam. There’s Wiretap, which can be used to covertly monitor conversations on Slack. Then, there’s Tetramind, which alerts managers when employees are switching between applications too much (a sign of distraction).
Should these not suffice, there are other software programs that track websites visited, measure emails, and keep track of keystrokes.
There’s kind of a creepy overlord aspect to all of this — and the founders of these technologies seem to embrace it with open arms: “It truly is Big Brother watching you,” the CEO of Qumram bragged of his own employer-voyeur creation.
“If you’re a parent and you have a teenage son or daughter coming home late, not doing their homework, you might wonder what they’re doing. It’s the same as employees,” another founder told The Guardian.
These technologies seem to rest on a structure of inherent distrust — the notion that workers are incapable of managing their own time. And that’s just… one sec — gotta check Facebook.