We are used to being watched in the UK.
According to figures from the terrifyingly-titled surveillance commissioner Tony Porter in 2016, there is roughly one CCTV camera in the UK for every 10 people.
But that’s while we are out and about.
How would you feel if you were constantly being watched at work too?
Watching workers
It has emerged that the Australian Taxation Office sent out a memo to around 20,000 staff in December, urging them to report their colleagues if they felt that they had been indulging in lengthy lunches, spending too long reading the paper, or filing incorrect timesheets.
The office has defended the memo too, stating: “We are proud to have a workforce which seeks to uphold the highest levels of integrity, which the community would expect.
“Integrity is everyone's business and we continually raise awareness of integrity matters with staff.”
But let’s be honest, this is nothing to do with integrity is it? It’s tapping into paranoia and pettiness to try to milk staff for everything they can give.
And while this particular example comes from Australia, it’s not that hard to imagine this happening in offices closer to home.
None of your business
I’ve always been the sort of person who gets to work early.
I don’t really know why, it’s just been drilled into me from an early age.
So I’m very familiar with the feeling of resentment that can build when you see someone get in late, take forever to actually get started doing some work, and then clock off early.
But really, that’s daft isn’t it? Unless I am their line manager, their work routine isn’t really my business.
They may have been told they can take a bit of extra time off because of something going on in their personal life, or they may be doing bits and pieces in their own time.
Or they might simply be a lot more productive than me, and their boss is happy for them to have a little bit of additional time off here and there.
Sitting there seething in impotent rage because my colleague took their time making a cup of tea at the start of the day is unhealthy, and any employer that takes steps to actually encourage that sort of point scoring and nosiness is being grossly irresponsible.
A question of trust
My own attitude towards work, particularly when managing staff, has been that so long as they get the work done I’m really not too bothered if they take the odd longer lunch or clock off a few minutes early now and again.
Clock watching is just bonkers.
If the employee has had a particularly productive day and cleared all of their tasks by 4.30, what on earth is the point in requiring them to sit at their screen for another half hour?
It doesn’t achieve anything other than making them feel frustrated with their employer.
It’s surely much more positive to actually trust staff to get on with their jobs in a timely fashion, to give them the responsibility to clear their workload in however long it takes them.
In my own experience, I believe it has been successful.
Most people want to feel valued and trusted at work, and they are then much more loyal and likely to stick with you for the long haul if you treat them like adults.
It doesn’t always work though.
There will always be some people that take the mickey, but in those instances it’s a matter for their line managers to step in and have a quiet word.
That’s why I have a problem with the approach of the Australian Taxation Office.
Rather than line managers stepping up and doing their job by actually managing their staff, they are passing the buck.
And their chosen method is one open to abuse by colleagues who don’t like each other, one which – no ifs and buts about it – will swiftly lead to a poisonous atmosphere at work.
The cruel irony is that, by pushing staff towards this Lord of the Flies free-for-all, they are actually further distracting staff from doing the work that is apparently so urgent.
Carrot not stick
Because here’s the thing; we are more productive when we are happy.
Researchers at the University of Warwick conducted an experiment with two groups; one was shown a comedy video before work or provided with food and drinks, while the other group wasn’t.
And members of the first group were found to be as much as 20% more productive than their peers in the second group.
So it would surely be a better idea to devote our energies towards fostering a positive atmosphere at work, where people feel happy and valued, than pushing for one where you spend half your time worrying about being watched and reported for being five minutes late back from lunch.
Treat people like adults and they will respond in kind.
But treat them with suspicion and you will soon find yourself having to hire replacements.
What do you think? Should companies encourage staff to come forward about workers they feel are slacking, or is this a classic case of big brother treating adults like little kids? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.