Posted on 11/12/2023 5:45:18 AM PST by Libloather
Almost everyone reading this will have worried, even just for a moment, about what they have searched online on their work computer, or said to a colleague on Slack.
And while most write it off as being 'paranoid', there is good reason to be concerned about what you do and say at work, even if it is done virtually.
Katie Winstanley, Group Head of HR, at global recruitment specialist Morson Group, told DailyMail.com that 60 percent of employers are now using some form of ‘bossware’ on company devices - software that tracks employee productivity or performance monitoring.
Winstanley said that ‘bossware’ is often used to track productivity during work hours, to ensure they are not sharing company information, and to ensure remote teams are actually working.
Warning signs that this software is installed no your device include strange network activity and your computer using unusual amounts of RAM (you can see how much RAM a Windows machine is using in Task Manager, accessed by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Escape).
But the problem is it's hard to tell for most people. These are some of the ways in which ‘bossware’ can lead to employees being fired, she warns:
Having conversations near your PC could lead to you losing your job, Winstanley warned.
She said, ‘While less common, some monitoring software can access microphones and cameras on devices. Inappropriate discussions or activities captured through these could lead to trouble.’
Some ‘bosware’ tracks everything you type on your work PC, sending a record to your employer (regardless of whether you are typing a personal email at lunchtime, for example).
Winstanley said: ’Some monitoring software tracks keystrokes. Excessive personal use during work hours, or even writing sensitive information in personal documents, could be tracked.’
Some ‘bossware’ doesn’t just track what you are doing on the internet...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I work in a plating factory. They had cameras all over the place watching us.
The company I work for has everything Lojack’d out the a$$.
My work truck, trailer, mini-ex, computer, and work phone is GPS tracked. On top of all that we have nanny cams in the vehicles that grade us on our driving.
Had an electrician rewiring my house. I came in one day and heard him talking. Thought he was talking to his helper. Not the case. He was on his cell phone. Helper meanwhile made mistakes. Fired his butt.
“If your employer does this, it is a good sign that you need to find another job.”
Problem is every company does this now.
... we got the warrant to produce all the logging info we had on the guy.
= = =
Could it be called wire tapping to record computer activity?
Yes, exactly. The best coders work in spurts like artists, they shut out the world and go 2-4 hours at a problem, then they goof for 2-4 and go back at it again. If you're at a job where even 10% of your brethren require micromanaging, you need to wake up.
I judge my teams by their results. If you meet or exceed the need, and you happen to do it at home while taking a few moments to pick up the kids or with some slack to spare, especially since you’re not spending 2 hours a day driving, dressing up, parking, etc, cool. All the good folks do as needed outside the normal schedule, and it’s comped back in.
The bad ones hardly need watching either; poor work or late and now our team has to have more checkpoint meets, and someone has to double-check that work; and if it doesn’t improve, problems happen.
I don’t need to spy on people to know this. They’re adults; if there’s a problem they can bring it forward and we’ll resolve it. It’s when they don’t act like adults and hide stuff like bad 5 year olds that bad things happen. If they’re excelling what do I care if they’re reading FR on their cell while on that Teams call?
Obviously the work machine has to be for work only. Never mind ‘use of company property’ which is true anyway — the wolves are at the door phishing and scamming etc. Dinking around with other stuff on the work machine is asking for a catastrophic data breach, loss of IP, failure of projects, PII or FTI out in the while and end to careers + the lives of those whose identity is stolen when data is lost.
Mine didn’t. They just wanted the work done. They didn’t care how when and where. They also wanted you available for questions and meetings.
The government told us that Covid was dangerous, deadly and a serious disease but if we got it, they wanted us to work (from home) anyway. That’s one reason I retired.
“The best coders work in spurts like artists,”
That’s true but I can punch code for hours on end if I am getting feedback like testing. But I recognize that I am a knowledge resource as well so I won’t get that time.
I wish I could find a contract job where I only get paid when I work but everybody wants a FT resource. If you can do the work, they want to work you to death.
Never respond with “Huh” to your boss.
You’re correct. The proper response is “Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? If I had ANY idea that was frowned upon I wouldn’t have done it”. It wasn’t mentioned in my interviews.”
The company owns the equipment you are working on while at work. You sold them your time.
This is totally justified. Wake the F*&% up. If you want to do personal stuff at work (perhaps during a break) use your own equipment (phone). Then, if a boss demands to know what you are doing while on break while on your personal equipment, charge him with spying under the Patriot act.
Then, retire with the settlement.
In that EUC there would be a clause stating that all activities on that device are monitored. Monitoring includes logging of those activities and analysis of whether or not the device is being used in accordance with the types of behaviors/use cases specified in the EUC.
Any/every company worth their salt has an EUC which requires acknowledgement by an employee before they're issued a device.
Call me when you have the time then. I’m home today recovering from the last two weeks. Taking some downtime to relax and get some much need nap time.
HR manager.
Highly Ridicules needs to be abolished and changed back to PAYROLL Department. Highly Ridicules has amassed way too much power over the Entire system and Personnel. It's like when they renamed Garbage/Trash Man to Sanitation Engineer.
I was required to attend a 3 day "class" on Productivity and changing the Paradigm or some stupid name close to that. The 3rd day the hr person started talking about how it takes 21 days to form a habit and how it creates a better working environment because it increases productivity. She kept repeating the 21 day BS.
My job was Water Treatment Plant Operator and in the Water Department we worked 12 hour shifts 07:00 - 19:00 Day and 19:00 - 07:00 Night. We were on for 3 shifts then 2 shifts off, then 2 shifts on and 3 shifts off. Every month We swapped from day to night with the same hours. Now I didn't have any say in how or why this was the way it was and had been that way for decades. Since the Plant had existed 60+ years ago. I thought it was the stupidest, goofiest schedule I'd ever heard of.
So I raised My hand to ask a question and when recognized I asked "Do Y'All even look at the hours that the Water Department works ?" The hr lady had a confused expression and didn't answer My question but instead asked Me "What I was getting at ?" I replied with the schedule that we were on and that it's going to be impossible to "Form a Habit" with the schedule we worked. hr lady said she would get back to Me with an answer later.
The next day I was called into My stupidvisor's office and asked what I had done in class the day before. I looked at him and said "What are you talking about ?" He replied that hr lady said that I had embarrassed her and was rude to her. I told him exactly what I had said and asked. He said "are You sure ?" I said YES I AM SURE.
I never heard anything about it after that.
Now a short story about being Monitored.
The 4th day of employment at the Water Department I E-Mailed from My Work E-Mail to My Personal E-mail a copy of the Monthly Schedule so I had it for reference. The next day it still had not arrived in My Personal E-mail so I went to resend it and I was locked out of My Work E-mail and started asking why. That's when My stupidvisor asked who was coondogphilosophy@xxxxx.com ? I said that is My Personal E-mail.
Turns out that they were screening My work E-mail and they thought I was giving out sensitive Water Plant internal operations information to someone outside of the Plant.
Can we monitor politicians like this?
My stupidvisor asked who coondogphilosophy@xxxxx.com was?
I said that is My Personal E-mail.
Turns out that they were screening My work E-mail and thought I was giving out
sensitive Water Plant internal operations information to someone outside the Plant.
The stupidvisor must have H2O on the brain......to be THAT stupid.
LOL !!! “Huh”
I was at My new school in 3rd Grade. We had moved from Old Bridge, NJ to Houston, TX. First day of school and the Teacher asked Me a question and I replied “Yeah”, I was sent immediately to the Principals office. I had no idea what I had done wrong.
I had a Crash Course on using the words: Yes, Mam/No Mam/Yes Sir/No Sir.
It was a very informative day at School for Me...
How did he stalk her using a printer?
ROFLMAO !!! Especially since My Application had that E-Mail on it and He and I had been using it for Pre-interview correspondence for a week.
I wonder if whoever was the Monitor even looked at the attached File that was only the schedule.
But He was a Good Ol’ Boy.
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