Case study: Implementing Employee Productivity Tracking Software for Remote Work

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to shift to remote work, and as a result, employers began to implement employee monitoring software to track their workforce's productivity and attendance.

I partnered with a company to evaluate the ethical implications of implementing employee monitoring software for remote workers.

Ethical concerns

The use of monitoring software raised ethical concerns, including:

Privacy: The invasion of privacy.
Fairness: The potential for software to target certain employees for closer monitoring.
Autonomy: Micromanagement, leading to an environment of distrust and loss of autonomy.
Creativity: The assumption that productivity can be objectively measured, and subsequent decreases in employee creativity.
Well-being: The impact on an employee's and manager's mental health.
Legality: The need to adhere to legal and regulatory compliance regarding privacy and security.
Discrimination: The risk that the software relies on biased algorithms.
Inaccuracy: Software glitches leading to inaccurate data collection and/or evaluation.
Transparency: The risk that employers are not communicating monitoring practices (including precise means of data collection and analysis) clearly.
Consent: The inability of employees to reject the notion of their productivity can be measured by software.
Engagement: The inability of employees to report on their work and productivity or communicate feedback to improve the monitoring and evaluation system.
Trust: The erosion of trust that managers value an individual's work, not just their person-hours.

Approach

I began by analyzing the company's past and current policies and practices regarding employee productivity measurements and monitoring. This included reviewing the software used to monitor employees, the types of data collected, the way the software monitors, defines, measures, and reports productivity, the procedures managers used to access and use the data, and proposed guidelines for using the data in employee evaluations.

I then conducted a survey of the employees to gather their perspectives on the use of employee monitoring software. The survey focused on their attitudes toward privacy, autonomy, fairness, well-being, engagement, and company trust in light of the company's decision to implement monitoring practices.

Based on the survey results and my analysis of the company's practices, I identified the most salient ethical concerns related to the use of employee monitoring software in this particular company.

Structure of the survey:

I worked with an internal team on validation to ensure the survey questions were clear, easy to understand, and relevant to the issues being addressed.

The survey addressed the following issues:

Anonymity: It was anonymous to encourage candid responses.
Informed consent: Employees were informed about the purpose of the survey, how the data would be used, and that their participation was voluntary.
Focus on salient ethical concerns: The survey included questions that addressed the real ethical concerns employees reported.
Qualitative and quantitative questions: The survey included open-ended and closed-ended questions to allow for quantitative analysis and a more in-depth understanding of employee experiences and concerns.
Inclusion of diverse perspectives: The survey was designed to gather responses from a diverse range of employees.
Follow-up: The survey results were communicated to employees, and action plans were developed based on the findings.

Example survey questions included:

Do you trust the accuracy of the data collected by the monitoring software used in your workplace?

Multiple choice options: Not at all, slightly, moderately, very much, completely

A text box to list specific concerns.

To what extent do you feel that your employer has been transparent about the use of monitoring software and how it is used to evaluate performance?

Multiple choice options: Not at all, slightly, moderately, very much, completely

Have you been given a clear opportunity to consent to the use of monitoring software in your workplace?

Yes or No

A text box to solicit free-form responses about how employees viewed the implementation process.

Recommendations:

After analyzing employee concerns about monitoring software, I recommend the following actions:

Establish clear policies: Develop policies that are easy to understand and address ethical considerations such as respect for privacy and autonomy.
Increase transparency: Be open and transparent about monitoring practices, informing employees about how monitoring is conducted, what data is collected, and how performance is evaluated.
Collect only necessary data: Collect only the data necessary for business objectives, avoiding data irrelevant to work performance.
Build trust: Foster an environment of trust through open communication, feedback, and employee involvement in decision-making.
Address biases and discrimination: Regularly audit monitoring software for accuracy and fairness to avoid perpetuating biases or discrimination.
Ensure accuracy: Monitor software regularly and address errors immediately to ensure accurate data collection and evaluation.
Gain employee consent: Obtain employee consent and participation before implementing any monitoring practices and provide opportunities for employees to voice their concerns and ask questions.
Foster employee engagement: Establish mechanisms for employees to provide feedback, report on their work and productivity, and participate in the evaluation of monitoring practices.

Outcome:

By implementing these recommendations, the company established clear policies and procedures related to employee monitoring, increased transparency about its monitoring practices, and limited the data collected through monitoring.

After a 3-month check-in, employees were surveyed to measure any improvements in their feelings about the ethical issues surrounding surveillance software.

Some employees reported feeling more comfortable with the monitoring practices, their ability to self-report on productivity, and the welcoming of feedback on the monitoring software

Despite the company's efforts to improve the monitoring practices, some employees still reported feeling uncomfortable or unhappy with the monitoring process. The company addressed many of these concerns by re-training managers to use the software in a way that recognized and supported employee productivity.

To address overall concerns about the usefulness and fairness of monitoring, the company considered establishing a more collaborative and participatory approach by involving employees in evaluating how the software would be used in the future.