MIT Sloan Management Review Article on How to Monitor Remote Workers - Ethically

Long-term remote work has necessitated questions about monitoring employee productivity. Is it possible to practice ethical surveillance?

Remote working is no short-term arrangement that will dissipate when society reopens — it’s here to stay. A fundamental paradigm shift solidified the moment that Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey encouraged employees to work from home forever. Influential companies, including Google, Facebook, and Square, followed suit — and as these early adopters move, so do the rest. A notable 88% of organizations worldwide now either encourage or require their employees to work from home, and they reap significant benefits from the arrangement. Freed from tedious and stressful commutes, employees have more time to work: Up to 400 additional hours per year per employee could be reallocated to their workdays, resulting in productivity improvements across 77% of the workforce.

About the Author

Benjamin Laker (@drbenlaker) is a professor of leadership at Henley Business School at the University of Reading. Will Godley (@willgodley) is a broadcast journalist who contributes to the BBC, Forbes, and Sky News. Charmi Patel is an associate professor of international human resource management at Henley Business School. David Cobb (@david_c_cobb) is a Bloomsbury author who serves as CEO of Oceanova Group.

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