Is Your Boss Watching? What Companies Can Track About You

According to ResumeBuilder’s 2023 poll, 96% of companies use employee monitoring to watch their remote employees. 85% of in-person employees are also under some form of tracking. Chances are that you are somewhere among these “lucky ones.” But what does monitoring mean? Many workers do not understand how deep and sophisticated such employee tracking can be and what their bosses can actually see.

Let’s unpack if employee monitoring is legal and what activity your company could be monitoring.

Can Your Employer Legally Monitor Your Activity?

The answer to this question depends on where you live. Privacy regulations vary across countries, states, and areas; however, most do not explicitly prohibit employee monitoring within designated work hours. Organizations can monitor employee activity for legitimate business purposes, but the scope of information they can collect varies depending on the jurisdictions. For example, keylogging and hidden cameras are prohibited in France. In Finland, monitoring emails, calls, and computer usage is significantly limited. Everywhere, employers have no right to monitor your private life outside work hours.

Some privacy regulations (for example, the EU’s GDPR) oblige employers to notify workers about monitoring and provide them with comprehensive monitoring policies. These policies should explain what data is collected, why, how long it is stored, and what rights you have in regard to your personal information. However, this practice is not universal for all countries.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to cover all the intricacies of privacy regulations across the globe within a small article. If you want to know what personal data your employer can and cannot collect, I recommend consulting a legal expert in your area.

Main Monitoring Methods

So, how may the company monitor your work activity? In our technological age, tracking methods are often software-based and automated, including computer monitoring programs, GPS trackers, surveillance cameras, access controls, etc. Yet, traditional analog techniques, such as managerial supervision, performance reviews, audits, and others, are also widely used.

Employee monitoring software is probably the most diverse and all-encompassing tracking method. Some solutions focus on one specific task: tracking work hours, managing projects and customer relationships, web filtering, data loss prevention, etc. Other employee monitoring platforms combine multiple features in one comprehensive solution. One of the most advanced tools, CleverControl, can track almost all activity on the computer, from taking screenshots to monitoring printer tasks and social media activity. Its time-tracking features record the start and the end of the workday, active and idle periods, and highlight the most productive parts of the workday. The AI engine analyzes the collected data to calculate personal productivity scores and highlight potential distractions.

Another interesting feature is Face Recognition — basically, the software uses the webcam to track everyone who accesses the monitored computer.

CleverControl helps businesses achieve multiple goals, from controlling attendance and work time to monitoring productivity and improving security, which makes it a popular choice among employers.

What Might a Company Track When Monitoring Employees?

Organizations typically monitor employee activity for one or a combination of the following reasons: productivity evaluation, security, work time tracking, and compliance with internal policies. Depending on what goals your company pursues, it can track various activities typically falling into these common categories.

Productivity and performance metrics

Organizations track these metrics when they want to evaluate individual and team performance, understand and improve work processes, increase accountability, and reallocate resources. Here is what can be tracked within this category:

• Work output (the number of finished tasks, delivered projects, generated revenues, closed deals, resolved tickets, etc.)
• Time spent on tasks or projects
• Clock-in and clock-out time
• Application and website usage
• Active/idle time during the workday
• Lateness
• Absences
• Duration and frequency of breaks
• Overtime

Communication and collaboration

For employees, monitoring communications raises the most stress; for employers, it is the clearest picture of how the team interacts. Organizations may track this type of activity for various reasons, from assessing the quality of customer interactions to protection from data leaks or inappropriate behavior. Under this category, employers may track:

• Email communications (number of sent and received emails, sender and recipient name, file types and sizes of attachments, etc.)
• Email content (this type of monitoring is highly sensitive and often legally restricted. In most cases, it requires specific justifications and employee notice)
• Content of messages and chat logs (similar to emails, this type of monitoring is often legally restricted)
• Number of sent and received chat messages
• Time spent on messaging and email apps
• Call recordings for quality assurance, training purposes, and compliance monitoring
• Call logs and their duration
• Meeting attendance and participation

Location and routes

This type of monitoring mostly applies to field workers or those who use company vehicles, for example, delivery drivers, field service technicians, sales representatives, etc. Organizations monitor the location and movements of employees primarily for operational efficiency, safety, and security reasons. Knowing the employee’s location helps plan optimized routes, allocate tasks efficiently, and accurately track work hours. Besides, monitoring deters potential thieves or those who plan to use company vehicles for personal purposes.

In other cases, organizations may track employee access to company buildings or certain locations within company premises and IP addresses from which employees log into company networks. Monitoring these helps organizations ensure security and prevent data leaks.

System access and file operations

Every organization protects its confidential information, especially when its competitive advantage lies in trade secrets or unique developments. Essentially, it takes measures to protect its sensitive data, intellectual property, and critical infrastructure. One such measure is employee monitoring. It helps prevent unauthorized access, detect and respond to security breaches, and ensure compliance with privacy regulations and internal policies. Organizations may monitor:

• The time when the employee logs in and out of the company systems
• File access and downloads
• Software installed on company-owned devices
• Visited websites
• Use of external devices, such as USB drives
• Attempts to access restricted systems, download unauthorized files, and other security violations.

Compliance

Monitoring compliance helps organizations ensure employees act within legal and ethical boundaries and according to internal guidelines. Within this category, employers may track:

• Visited websites to confirm employees do not visit inappropriate or prohibited websites
• Software usage to ensure employees use licensed software and do not violate licensing agreements
• Adherence to internal policies
• Analysis of communication: organizations may monitor certain keywords to identify potential policy violations in emails or chat messages (e.g., harassment, discrimination, data breaches).

The scope of activities under the employer’s scrutiny can feel overwhelming. As we’ve seen, companies possess diverse tools to track productivity, ensure security, and maintain compliance. But with this technological toolbox comes a crucial question: is it possible to monitor responsibly and ethically? How do organizations balance employee privacy with business interests? This leads us to some final, important considerations.

Final Thoughts

Today’s employers possess remarkable and ever-growing opportunities to monitor their employees’ work-related activities. The rationale behind monitoring — boosting productivity, strengthening security, ensuring compliance — often stems from legitimate business needs. However, let’s not forget that these powerful tools must be used with legal and ethical considerations.

Businesses must use employee monitoring tools with transparency, purpose, and respect for employee privacy. They should focus on fostering a culture of trust rather than surveillance. For employees, understanding your rights, engaging in open communication with your employer, and prioritizing responsible work habits are more important than ever. The future of work is undoubtedly data-driven, but its success will grow from striking a balance between accountability and human dignity.