As remote and hybrid work settle into long-term reality, a quiet battleground has emerged inside organizations: employee surveillance. From keystroke logging to webcam monitoring to “productivity dashboards,” companies are turning to digital tools to track performance, prevent data breaches, and understand output. But at what point does oversight become overreach?
In this edition of Q&A With Jane, we dig into one of the most pressing questions of the modern workplace: How much monitoring is ethical, legal, and truly necessary? Employees are demanding transparency, regulators are tightening scrutiny, and HR leaders are stuck balancing operational needs with fundamental trust.
If you’ve ever wondered whether your employer can see what you’re typing, when you’re active, or how long your breaks really are, this one’s for you.
A reader writes:
Dear Jane,
Now that my company has shifted permanently to a hybrid structure, management has rolled out new digital “productivity tools” that track login times, screen activity, and website usage. They say it’s to “support efficiency” and “enhance team visibility,” but it honestly feels like surveillance.
Some colleagues claim companies legally can track almost anything on a work device. Others say it’s invasive and unethical. I’m confused about what’s normal, what’s allowed, and what should make me worried. Can employers really monitor us at home? And where exactly is the boundary between reasonable tracking and privacy violation?
Your employer is watching!
Dear Feeling Watched,
You’re asking the question millions of remote and hybrid employees are quietly thinking—but few feel brave enough to say out loud. Let’s start with the uncomfortable truth: Yes, companies can monitor activity on employer-owned devices and networks. But that’s only half the story. What truly matters is how they do it, what they collect, and whether you were told about it.
What’s Legal vs. What’s Ethical
Legally, most countries including the U.S., India, the U.K., and much of Europe allow employers to track activity on company devices for reasons such as data security, compliance, preventing misuse, or understanding workflow.
But ethics operate on a different plane. Just because an employer can install keystroke recorders or monitor every tab you open doesn’t mean they should.
The most progressive HR leaders today follow one rule:
Monitor output not people.
Track work delivered, not the micro-movements of an employee’s cursor.
The New Surveillance Tools and Why They Worry People
“Employee monitoring software” has evolved into a massive industry. These tools can, depending on settings:
- Log every keystroke
- Track mouse activity
- Capture screenshots
- Flag “idle time”
- Record websites visited
- Monitor app usage
- Even activate webcams (the biggest ethical red flag)
When used transparently and sparingly monitoring can be justified. But when used to judge whether you paused to stir your tea, it becomes digital micromanagement.
Where the Line Gets Crossed
I tell HR leaders to avoid these three red zones at all costs:
- Secretive or undisclosed monitoring
If monitoring is happening without employee knowledge, it isn’t just unethical—it’s a trust catastrophe. - Intrusive personal data collection
Webcam monitoring, audio recording, and tracking personal devices connected to home Wi-Fi cross ethical boundaries instantly. - Productivity policing
Tracking “idle minutes” or requiring constant mouse movement punishes deep work, neurodiversity, and different work styles.
A company should be evaluating your work quality, deadlines, and outcomes—not the milliseconds between your keystrokes.
What Ethical Companies Do Instead
The most responsible organizations follow what I call the Three Ts of Ethical Monitoring:
- Transparency:
Employees are clearly told what is monitored, why, how, and for how long. - Targeted Tracking:
Monitoring is limited to security-critical tasks and roles—not applied like a blanket rule. - Trust First:
Leadership defaults to assuming professionalism rather than policing it.
When these three are in place, monitoring becomes protective—not punitive.
What You Can Do Now
- Check your company’s IT or device-use policy. Monitoring should be disclosed.
- Ask HR for specifics. You’re entitled to clarity.
- Separate personal and work devices. Never mix the two.
- Watch for patterns. If monitoring leads to pressure to be “constantly online,” that’s a culture issue, not a tech one.
Ultimately, remote work works only when trust is the core currency—both ways.
If your company is treating surveillance as a shortcut to management, that’s not a technology problem. It’s a leadership one.
Are you facing a tricky workplace dilemma? Write to Jane Harper with your questions on workplace conflict, policy issues, or people management problems. Your situation could be featured (anonymously) in a future column.
Send your queries to: info@thehrdigest.com with the subject line “Ask JANE HARPER.”
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