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<p>Does your boss trust you?</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/08/Boss-Watching-Feature-BUZZ-1024x788.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4248" /></figure>
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<p>You might say: Sure! I’m a
good person. I don’t cheat, or lie, or steal.</p>
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<p>But hold on a minute! Have
you ever thought that you might be “stealing” your employer’s time, maybe even
using company resources?</p>
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<p>Isn’t it dishonest to chat on
the phone (even your personal phone) on company time? Or to check your Facebook
page? What about those long lunch hours?</p>
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<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://buzz-caribbean.com/app/uploads/2019/08/Facebook-at-Work-1024x680.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4261" /></figure>
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<p><strong><em>The Jamaica Productivity Centre points to a steady decline in labour productivity over the past forty years of approximately 1.5 per cent annually. </em></strong>*Wow*</p>
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<p>So how can companies stop the
productivity slide, and track workers’ performance? One way is through the
technology we all love to use.</p>
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<p>It’s a big, slightly scary
word: Surveillance. Did you know:</p>
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<ul><li>Globally, about 22 per cent of organizations are tracking employees’ movements (all those bathroom and watercooler trips!). </li><li>17 per cent are monitoring work computer usage, according to 2018 study by global research and advisory firm, Gartner. And it’s a growing practice.</li><li>Companies are using a range of apps and software like <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/microsoft-365/partners/workplaceanalytics" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">Microsoft’s Workplace Analytics</a>. </li><li>Big U.S. companies like Amazon, Walmart and UPS are developing new technology to figure out what their workers are up to during working hours. </li><li>A growing number of companies are issuing wearable tech including wristband trackers, sensors and audio tracking, as part of their productivity monitoring efforts. </li><li>Even microchip implants! Bio-tracking could be a future trend. This is already taking place in China, where some businesses reportedly monitor employees' brainwaves to detect their emotions.</li><li>Tech companies are selling devices that monitor web usage, the number of keystrokes you make…and much more.</li></ul>
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<p>Two big questions, here. </p>
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<h5 style="text-align:left">Could this technology be used
outside the workplace? (Yes, it could).</h5>
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<p>And what about your privacy? (Well,
it’s complicated).</p>
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<h5 style="text-align:left">Is this happening in Jamaica?</h5>
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<p>The <strong>Jamaica Employers Federation</strong> says: “Monitoring of employees’ time spent on sites like Facebook is not widespread as yet.</p>
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<p><strong><em>“But we predict it will become a feature of the Jamaican workplace before too long.”</em></strong></p>
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<p>You have been warned!</p>
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