[imagesource: Zac Freeland/Vox]

The first thing I did when I bought my new laptop was slap a piece of tape over the webcam.

That’s what happens when one of the offices near you features a digital security startup, and you have the odd chat.

Now we work from home, and the tape remains, but for many employees that isn’t an option given to them by their bosses.

In the UK, for example, many employees are reporting that surveillance levels have increased since they’ve been working from home.

Dr Claudia Pagliari, a researcher into digital health and society at the University of Edinburgh, spoke with the Guardian:

“Some of it is as simple as ‘checking in’,” Pagliari says, “stamping your timecard in a digital sense. You might have to do your work over the cloud, and it knows when you’ve logged on, for instance.”

…Other workers have reported more intense supervision. One communications worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said that her employer had recently started to require all staff to join a videoconference every morning, with their webcams switched on. Employees were told the move was to reduce the number of meetings, but many feel as though its true purpose is to ensure that they stay at their desks all day.

The last thing I would want to do each morning is to join a videoconference. That would mean having to shower and change before lunchtime, which is a big no-no to my work from home routine.

Some tech companies are reporting that they’re actually turning down requests from big businesses, looking at tech-savvy ways to ‘spy on’ their employees, under the guise of monitoring productivity.

It’s already difficult separating work time from private time, when you’re always ‘at your desk ‘ (the dinner table, or couch, in many cases), but the idea of cameras monitoring your movements in your own home is a real overreach.

Silkie Carlo from Big Brother Watch, who last week panned Amazon’s autonomous home surveillance drones, agrees:

“Now that is morphing into home surveillance it takes on a new shape and is more worrying, because some employers aren’t realising that yes, some employees are working from home, but the home still remains a private space,” she said.

“It’s important for people’s sense of autonomy and dignity, and their mental health, that the home remains a private space and we don’t go down the route of this really invasive constant monitoring of people’s homes.”

What lies ahead could become a legal minefield, with employment lawyers in the UK saying that home surveillance is just one part of the equation.

How far do an employer’s legal obligations go? Are they responsible for ensuring employees have an ergonomically safe desk at home, or a decent computer and internet connection, and what about heating?

FT spoke with lawyer Peter Daly of UK-based firm Slater and Gordon, and he says that employees potentially are:

An employment contract might not specifically mention electricity bills or broadband, but case law implies an obligation to provide a suitable working environment for employees, which could extend to paying for these costs.

He says he is hearing from “an awful lot of people” who have been told to work from home but on their own computer — a tough ask for those with one old laptop the whole family shares, or no home computer at all.

It’s even worse if you’re told to leave the webcam on while your family goes about their daily business.

No thanks, not for me.

Having conducted a study into how working from home in light of the COVID-19 pandemic was affecting employees, managers, and organisations, the Harvard Business Review recommends that employees follow these tips to exercise control over their professional and personal lives:

Start by defining a clear boundary between your “work” and “home” spheres (e.g., “When I’m in this room or wearing these headphones I’m ‘at work’”). This will help you psychologically detach from work at the end of the day and re-enter your home environment (and mindset), which research has shown is beneficial for employee well-being and performance. Experiencing too much spillover from “work” to “home” or vice versa is likely to undermine feelings of authenticity and control in both spheres.

…use this bonus time [not spent in traffic or commuting to work] to get more sleep, spend more time with your family, connect with friends, pursue a hobby, learn a new skill, exercise, or pursue any number of other personally satisfying activities. The key is to leverage this extra time to feel more authentic and in control of your life. Try to resist the temptation to simply work more hours.

Finally, they recommend self-care, involving investing time, money, or attention to improving some aspect of your well-being.

If money is tight, self-care routines like exercising or mindfulness are cost-effective.

Oh, and turn off the webcam.

[sources:guardian&ft&hbr]