Workers resent online monitoring

Workers don’t want their bosses monitoring their online activity, even though a quarter say they’re not always working online remotely when they should be.

Considering that 25% of workers admit they pretend to be online while completing non-work related activities, maintaining productivity and security has become a paramount priority for employers with remote and hybrid workers. 

That’s why Forbes Advisor asked hybrid and remote employees about how their companies are monitoring their online activities. It looked into how workplace surveillance affects productivity, job satisfaction and the types of activity being monitored. 

Forbes found that 43% of workers report having their online activity monitored by their employers, with 1 in 4 employees saying it makes for an uncomfortable situation.

Other findings include that

27% report that they would likely quit their jobs if their employers decided to monitor their online activity;
59% believe there are ethical concerns with monitoring an employee’s online activity;
68% of employees report there being at least one thing they’d be embarrassed to have their employer monitor; 
39% report that their employer monitoring their online activity hurts their relationship with their employer and 43% say it negatively affects company morale; 
60% of respondents report that online monitoring hurts their productivity, and 36% say it adversely affects their job satisfaction; 
1 in 3 have had activity from their employer’s online surveillance used in their performance reviews; and
18% report stress and anxiety from being monitored by their employer, while 16% report taking fewer breaks.