Also known as “bossware” and even “employee surveillance”, employee monitoring has been placed in the bucket of technologies that companies force on their employees. Whatever you call it, its use is on the rise and it looks like it’s here to stay. As of 2022, 60% of companies use some kind of software to monitor employees. General productivity isn’t the only justification for implementing employee monitoring.

Recently, there has been considerable coverage of “bossware” and a focus on draconian types of “surveillance” some companies are using to stay on top of remote and flexible workforces. Articles claim companies are accessing the camera on laptops and tracking every movement so that employees can’t even go to the bathroom. In 1992, the New York Times ran a long article about Caller ID and how the new technology was an invasion of privacy.

Globally, 67% of companies experience between 21 to 40 insider-related incidents per year, according to Ponemon Institute’s The Cost of Insider Threats 2022 report. The same report reveals that the frequency and cost of insider attacks have increased significantly over the past two years. Insider threats are one of the tougher attacks to predict and prevent, because of the difficulty in identifying insiders.