Dive Brief:
- Employees balk at Elon Musk-style workplace monitoring, according to Zety’s recent Workplace Monitoring Report. Of the 1,000 U.S. workers surveyed, 62% said they disagree with Musk’s weekly “five work accomplishments” edict, 30% said they would start job searching if their company implemented a similar policy and 9% said they’d quit immediately.
- Apart from turnover, these kinds of reporting policies engender workplace dissatisfaction, employees said. Ninety percent of workers said strict reporting negatively affects the workplace, leading to lower job satisfaction (22%), a culture of fear (22%) and increased burnout (18%).
- As far as the types of monitoring employers do, 1 in 5 workers draw the line at having their computer usage, emails and online activity monitored, saying it’s a violation of their privacy.
Dive Insight:
“Employers should evaluate whether constant reporting is truly improving productivity or simply escalating stress, and find ways to reduce unnecessary pressure,” the report said.
Employees’ outlook on workplace culture is on the decline, according to an Eagle Hill Consulting survey from September. This is a key issue for Generation Z and women — two groups most likely to leave their current positions, researchers found.
Employers have said before that they turn to surveillance for security and compliance reasons, as well as keeping an eye on worker productivity.
Still workplace productivity is on the rise and led by remote-only workers, according to a March 11 report from ActivTrak Productivity Lab. The average workday is about 36 minutes shorter than in recent years and 2% more productive. Workers also reported the highest level of healthy work patterns – 70% – in three years, ActivTrak said.
