One of the “Big Four” accounting firms revealed this week that they will begin monitoring the locations from which its UK employees log in, aiming to gain better oversight of hybrid working practices. This comes shortly after Amazon announced they are hoping to reintroduce employees to return to office work five days a week as they end their hybrid policy.
As companies navigate a rapidly changing business landscape post-Covid, will closely monitoring devices and a return to full-time office create a lack of trust between employees and bosses? Or will it create more productive workers?
Guy Thornton, Founder of Practice Aptitude Tests, offers his expert insight into the company policies that are changing and why they could prove to do more harm than good for businesses.
“The hybrid working model was introduced globally as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced many companies to rapidly shift to remote work. As businesses adapted to the new normal, the hybrid model emerged as a compromise between fully remote and traditional office work.
“A 2024 study from Forbes has shown that the hybrid working model increased productivity in the workplace by 48.8%, in addition to lowering business costs and increasing employee retention—so why are employers choosing to revert to pre-pandemic work models?
“When employees feel they are constantly being watched, it can erode trust between them and their employers. A lack of trust can then lead to disengagement amongst employees as well as reduced motivation and lower overall morale, which ironically can affect productivity.
“It can also blur the line between work and personal life. If employees are being micromanaged consistently, they may feel significant pressure to meet targets and get tasks done as a means to try and please their managers.
“When the focus shifts to monitoring every detail of employee activity, it can lead to a compliance-orientated culture where employees are more concerned with meeting monitoring criteria than actually succeeding for both themselves and the company.
“This can make staff feel less valued and more like a cog in the machine. In turn, changes in work conditions can have more negative effects than positive ones. The more hostile the environment becomes, the higher the employee turnover rate will tend to be, with statistics showing that 69% of people surveyed who have experienced micromanagement say it made them consider changing jobs.”
