How to monitor staff in a hybrid work environment, without breaking down trust

Despite the speed at which most organisations in Australia adopted remote working practices almost two years ago, some enduring issues are preventing Australian businesses from getting the most from hybrid models.

That’s because a successful hybrid working environment was simply inconceivable just a generation ago. 

As a result, we remain at a crossroads with old workplace habits because neither employer nor employee truly trusts the other enough.

According to the 2021 Unisys Security Index, there is a clear barrier between office life and home life. The index revealed that six in 10 Aussies are not comfortable with employers monitoring their log-in and log-out times when they’re working from home.

By comparison, employees are monitored more or less continuously when in the office, through badging in and out of areas, logging onto office IT systems and attending face-to-face meetings.

Simply recreating in-office practices in a digital environment does not work. It’s time to consider how we can use remote monitoring practices to help employees thrive.

Instead of traditional hours-worked or output-based monitoring, organisations that use technology to create and foster outcome or impact-based solutions will earn the trust of their employees, resulting in an overall happier and more productive workforce.

It comes down to how an organisation communicates with their employees and ensures the techniques and processes that are implemented make employees feel supported and empowered to do their jobs well from home.

There are a number of strategies organisations should consider when planning to implement monitoring tools and techniques in a hybrid working environment.

Consider your approach to change

Organisations face the ongoing challenge of integrating their people, processes, culture, and technology into a hybrid environment, which often means near-complete overhaul of models. While a significant undertaking, this type of true transformation is far more effective than trying to adapt and band-aid existing models.

When rolling out these changes, use an organisational change management approach that not only helps determine the best technology solutions, organisational structure and processes, but also measures technology adoption to enable it to be continuously refined for ongoing success.

Transparent communication is critical. Organisations must effectively communicate how and why changes are being made, and ensure they are fit for purpose.

Employees who do not find value in organisational change will often find their own ways of doing things. This can lead to a lack of cohesion in a workforce, as well as potentially exposing the employer’s IT systems by using unsecured, unapproved tools.

Empower employees

Employees want to guard their privacy and do not want unfettered surveillance by their employers while working in their home space. However they are more likely to accept monitoring systems if they feel they are in control and agree the purpose is reasonable.

It’s time for employers and employees to rethink their attitudes toward monitoring and choose what is fit for purpose.

Employers need to consider whether traditional measurements and monitoring are relevant in the new digital workplace. Depending on the job role, does it really matter how many hours they were logged on and at what time of day? A customer service representative might need to work specific hours to be available to take calls so it is a reasonable metric. But writing a plan or report should be judged on the quality of the work delivered by the agreed deadline.

Ultimately this moves the focus from ‘hours present’ to outcomes and productivity.

Simultaneously, some additional monitoring can assist productivity. For example, monitoring software performance can allow for proactive IT support before an issue affects the worker’s productivity, and facial recognition can be used to quickly verify a user’s identity.

But for employees to accept these new types of monitoring they need to understand what is being monitored and when; who has access to the information; and how it will be used to benefit them.

To be successful, it is crucial for employers to lead conversations about the purpose of monitoring such as proactive IT support or identity verification.

Build trust

When enabling systems that monitor employee activity, privacy, security and trust must be the top priorities for the organisation.

Absence of detail creates mistrust. If employers want to roll out systems that might be perceived as encroaching on privacy, such as facial recognition, it is important to have transparent conversations about why such monitoring is needed and how it will actually work.

The idea that an employer is spying on you at any time via your webcam is quite different to a window that pops up and warns you it is going to verify your identity via facial recognition and asks you to look at the webcam for the next five seconds in order to continue accessing the company’s systems remotely.

By engaging in clear and transparent communication, organisations, employers and employees can agree on what forms of monitoring are reasonable and even helpful

Two-way conversation is a critical part of building trust in an organisation’s decision making for the hybrid workplace — not just for technology, but also for processes, policies and so on.

Employers and employees alike have come a long way in adapting to new ways of working. As many organisations prepare for a second (or third) return to the office, it’s time to ensure that new work practices keep up with employee expectations.