When Privacy at Work Becomes a Battle for Dignity

Imagine if you had a conversation one evening at home sharing a tender moment with your family and the next day at work that conversation was relayed to you by a colleague. And you know, deep in your gut, this couldn’t possibly be a coincidence.  

Now imagine that not once, not twice, but for over a period of thirty years, you find yourself in situations where your private words seem to echo in places they should not.

That has been my lived experience, and let me tell you, carrying the weight of that violation can shake even the strongest foundation. It has led to me not trusting people and not wanting to speak certain things in my own home, additionally it has put a strain on relationships and family interactions but most importantly there is a burning sense of injustice. But injustice as we know has a way of demanding to be heard.  

These crimes have happened despite the Data Protection Act 2018, which incorporates the General Data Protection Regulation and the Equality Act 2010. When laws meant to protect you seem powerless we have to step up. This isn’t just a story of surveillance,  it’s a story about human dignity. About the sacredness of our private lives and about the courage it takes to stand up and say: Enough is enough.  

The Rise of Workplace Surveillance  

The pandemic didn’t just change how we worked, it changed how we were watched.

Employers turned to tools they believed could “boost productivity.” Screen-shots. Keystroke trackers. Video monitoring. GPS tracking. Even stealth modes that hide the very fact that you’re being watched.  

The numbers are startling:  

• This year it is estimated that some, 70% of large employers will be monitoring their staff.  

• Nearly 4 in 10 tools now include hidden surveillance features. Some even record audio through your own microphone.  

• Teramind is rated as the most invasive tool, based on their reporting of keystrokes, screen-shots and stealth modes. 

• Over a third (34%) of tools now track employees’ exact GPS location  

• There are an average of 24.24% more invasive features on employer monitoring tools in 2023 than there were in 2021. 

Employers may believe this technology makes teams more efficient. But the lived reality for employees is very different. As one expert put it: “Control can often times feel oppressive. And in my view productivity can never flourish where trust has been broken.  

If all of these tools and functionality were used for rightfully monitoring employees work that could be OK but with poor design, bad actors and increased opportunity, there has been a rise in these tools being used for snooping purposes which blur the boundaries between work and privacy.  

For example, Imagine if you are working at your desk in one room and it starts to get dark outside. You are on a Teams video call and can see that your face is becoming more blurred. You decide not to switch on the light but to walk to another room you work from which is normally lit by the setting sun. You write a note to your colleagues saying “Still listening, camera off as I change location”. You switch off your camera and pick up your laptop and walk to the other room. As you are walking the camera is switched back on.  

Some of you may say, well no harm done but steady on. If an employee does not wish to show parts of their home to their colleagues, then they should be entitled to that aspect of privacy. What if you live in shared accommodation with other tenants and as you walk from one room to another you are exposing them when the camera gets switched back on? There are many, many possible permutations of this one simple act, however at the end of the day it is an encroachment on worker privacy.  

When Surveillance Meets Bias  

When you have a society which is biased and you place a layer of technology on top of it which has been developed predominantly by those with the said biases who exercise power, then the biases in society are sadly only amplified by using the said technology.  

Research shows that Black workers are disproportionately monitored compared to their White colleagues. Many Black workers report being challenged more often about their commitment, facing more disciplinary action stemming from surveillance and feeling stigmatised for working from home.  

Think about that. Technology, created by those with unconscious (and sometimes conscious) biases, becomes another weapon of inequity. Instead of levelling the playing field, it tips it further against those already carrying more weight.  

It is more than just about cameras or keystrokes, it’s also about who gets to be trusted, who gets the benefit of the doubt and who gets watched.  

The TUC’s ‘Making Hybrid Inclusive’ report, written in conjunction with University of Kent and King’s College points out that “well-designed hybrid working is essential to avoid exacerbating discrimination and also to promote equality.” Unfortunately we do not have well-designed hybrid working and nothing is in place to stop excesses.  

A Call for Change 

So, what do we do? First, we acknowledge this.  

• Privacy is not a luxury, it’s a right.  

• Dignity at work is not negotiable not even if you are working from home. 

Here are a few powerful steps forward, we should demand that:  

• Monitoring must never spill into private lives, even in home offices.  

• Every worker deserves transparency about how they’re being monitored.  

• Employees should have the right to access recordings of themselves.  

• An independent body must exist to hold employers accountable.  

• Authorisations for invasive monitoring should be rare, temporary and approved at the highest levels.  

• New, specific sanctions must address workplace surveillance abuse and not just lump it under “data protection.”  

Turning Pain Into Purpose  

Here’s the beautiful part: this story doesn’t end with suffering. It transforms into a movement.  

That’s why the “Imagine If You...” podcast is launching, to shine light on these injustices, to empower workers with knowledge and to hear from IT experts, survivors, lawyers and scholars. Because when we share our stories and the information, we don’t just heal ourselves, we create the blueprint for collective change.  

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If your spirit feels stirred, this conversation is for you. And it’s just the beginning.  

Imagine if you.....is a podcast that I am launching this month to tackle this issue head on. It will bring more awareness to issues. The first episode will be recorded in London with a live audience.

Larna Bernard is a researcher, financial regulation consumer champion, community activist and published author.

Find out more by sending an email to info@askpyramidglobal.com