Employee tracking is increasingly widespread, and it could be doing more harm than good

Many people are stuck working at home.

According to a new survey, 77% of workers want to continue to work from home at least once a week when the coronavirus pandemic is over.

But many managers worry that employees won't work as much, or as hard, when they're not in view. Consequently, some are turning to "productivity management" software to track their employees while they work from home. 

One such software company, Prodoscore, said it has seen a 600% increase in interest from prospective customers since the pandemic hit. Another, TransparentBusiness, said it has seen a 500% spike in users month to month.

"We take a number of data points, be it a CRM tool that they are currently using, a phone system like a Vonage, an email system, it could be G Suite or Microsoft 365. We aggregate all those data points in a real time, proprietary dashboard that provides them a weighted score," said Prodoscore CEO Sam Naficy. "All of it is recorded."

But what kind of impact do systems like this have on workers? And are there limits to the ways in which employers can track their workers in pursuit of productivity? 

"There are many employers that are looking at this and thinking this is a real opportunity to reshape work," said Jamie Woodcock, a senior lecturer of people and organizations at The Open University. "Will it benefit people who are working and are now able to work in new ways? Or will it benefit employers who will find new ways to get the most out of people's time they've bought to make people work even harder? "

Watch the video to find out more.