Under Bill 88, the Working for Workers Act 2022, employers now need to let their employees know when and if they are monitoring what they do on their laptops or computers. The question comes to mind – why wouldn’t employers let their employees know all along? What do they have to hide?
I don’t know about you, but Covid has brought out some bad habits of employers. Why would employers need to know what their employees are up to at home? I would have hoped that trust was a big factor in employment.
The more in-depth questions are around trust and engagement. I will admit that working from home has its advantages. However, I like so many other people, think that when I have a project to complete, I am going to work on that project so I won’t miss the deadline — not because Bill 88 is telling me I have to. The market has come up with some fail-safe methods to fool employers – mouse jigglers for one. There is an app that one can get that will appear to jiggle your mouse periodically. If employers are watching your moves, they will get the false message that you are working.
There is so much wrong with this that I just can’t express in words how I am feeling. I just know that this is wrong on so many levels. This includes Bill 88, the app and the aspect of watching.
Build trust with your employees, don’t break it down. Trust that your employees are being productive. Trust that your employees will get the work done and not miss deadlines. If they do miss deadlines, then that becomes a performance issue – one that you will be well aware of without watching their laptop moves and keystrokes.
We live in a democratic world where we make our own decisions, live our own lives, and make our own decisions. We don’t need Bill 88 and we don’t need to be told what and how to do things. We intuitively know. And if we don’t know, then that too is a performance issue – one that leaders and people and culture will know how to handle.
Let’s not build a “big brother is watching” society. Trust, acceptance, engagement, and morale building should be the norm. Let’s not continue to tear down what took so long to build.
If you need more information on Bill 88 and how it affects you or your organization, contact Principle Anne Bloom.
