About half of American workers would take a pay cut to avoid having their wages tracked

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Amidst the rise of remote and hybrid work, employers are turning to monitoring tools that measure their employees' productivity by tracking keystrokes, mouse movements, and online activity. Many workers responded by finding ways to avoid scrutiny, using mouse jigglers and other hacks to ensure they weren't penalized for moving away from their desks.

In recent months, however, companies have sought to wrest control by imposing strict policies on returning to the office and cracking down on workers they believe are shirking their jobs. Last month, Bloomberg reported that Wells Fargo fired more than a dozen employees in May for cheating on the job—specifically by “simulating keyboard work.” Many employers have become aware of employees using hacks such as mouse jigglers, which can be detected by monitoring software, The Wall Street Journal reported recently.

Workplace privacy concerns

It's no wonder, then, that many Americans are alarmed by the increasing infringement of their workplace autonomy. In a new survey by background check platform Checker, nearly half of the 3,000 respondents said they would consider taking a pay cut if their employer didn't track their work online. Younger workers feel strongly about the issue, with 54% of Gen Z respondents saying they agree or are on the fence about a pay cut, compared to 47% of millennials, 44% of Gen Xers and 45% of baby boomers boomers. . (The survey had an even distribution of respondents in each generation.)

More than half of those surveyed—56 percent—said they believed their employer monitored their work during the workday. Most respondents saw that as a problem, in line with broader views about consumer privacy: About 84% said they had general concerns about the security of data they provided at work, and 65% agreed even if they were on the phone. about feeling that employers who monitor online activity have violated their privacy. Their perception of supervision at work appeared to be partly related to their age and generation; nearly 72% of Gen Z respondents believed it was an invasion of privacy, while only 60% of boomers felt the same way.

Impact on companies

Labor advocates and privacy experts have raised the alarm about the potential implications of universal workplace surveillance. Aside from privacy concerns, however, pushing back on these tools also proves ineffective, either in terms of measuring output or motivating employees. Critics argue that tracking software can enable reactive productivity, rather than actual productivity, and that it can also be a reputational risk for companies trying to hire and retain talent. Perhaps most importantly, it can damage employee confidence—so much so that employees are willing to sacrifice part of their pay to avoid it.