The COVID-19 lockdown meant a surge in remote work, and the trend toward remote and hybrid workplaces has persisted long after the pandemic receded. That has changed the nature of workplace management as well. Bosses can’t check for butts in seats or look over their employees’ shoulders in the office to make sure they’re working instead of having a LAN party. So they’ve turned to software tools to fill the gap.
So-called “bossware” lets managers keep a close eye on employees’ activity, tracking everything from knowledge workers’ website visits to the gait and facial expressions of those involved in more physical activities.
That’s a weird way to spell spyware.
No, I like “bossware”. It tells you exactly what it is. It’s “spyware from your boss”.
Time to create a new anti-bossware product, and call it Worker. Maybe it could be peer-to-peer to help propagate newly identified Bossware signatures. Some kind of worker’s collective as it were.
Workerware like mouse jigglers and other keepalive tools that lets you focus on work instead of having to keep the screensaver from turning on.
I manage a team and cannot imagine having the time or desire for this shit.
My team gets a lot of stuff done per quickly and reliably. They are probably better developers than I ever was. I don’t need to know how they spend minute by minute.
the more I am watched, the less productive I am. both in actual output, and in appearance.
want to watch my every move? okay, I now spend time ensuring it appears acceptable when I am using it. but I’m also going to avoid using my watched device whenever possible to do work via other methods, like writing things out in a notebook instead of digitally
thankfully I am (for now) not under any sort of digital supervision. that I am aware of.
“to make sure they’re working”
A boss’ job is not to babysit. Keep the higher ups off the team’s backs, run the management infrastructure needed for stuff like project planning, stuff like that. I am not at my desk for my whole work day. However not once has anyone been less than very pleased with my output. More time at my desk would not mean more work - it would mean less. The recharge time I take means that I almost universally have a good attitude at work and I’m good at untangling problems that others either can’t deal with or are avoiding dealing with.
Forcing presenteeism rather than a results-based approach is utterly idiotic.
But more face stare at screen make more money happen.
Line go up?
Maybe we should do an uno-reverse and use bossware to keep tabs on our bosses.
I want to know exactly how much time they spend each week just navigating to a directory I sent them, so I know exactly how many hours I can spend on break
Now let’s make KPIs for them that are about as useful as the ones they make for us. Let’s make “Time spent navigating directories” a positive value that should be optimized for.
As a manager of sorts, I already know if people are doing their job: the work gets done. I’m involved enough to know how much time their work should take and see through their BS since I do similar work.
Maybe these bosses should do the same: do similar work and you’ll know when they’re BS-ing you.
No, absolutely not! When you’re a manager you are supposed to stop doing actual work and instead spend your time in meetings, making PowerPoints and “navigating office politics”.
Scumbags
Just a giant circle. This shits the new cash register.
Boss daddy!
So-called “bossware” lets managers keep a close eye on employees’ activity, tracking everything from knowledge workers’ website visits to the gait and facial expressions of those involved in more physical activities.
It would be so hard to not furiously masturbate to the camera just to shock the fuck out of those assholes.
Anyways, this is sick behavior. If you have so little trust in your employees, than you are the problem, not them
