"Employee monitoring software became the new normal during COVID-19..." writes Australia's public broadcaster ABC, "logging keystrokes and mouse movement, capturing screenshots, tracking location, and even activating webcams and microphones."And now " It seems workers are stuck with it .... Surveys of employers in white-collar industries show that even returned office workers will be subject to these new tools. What was introduced in the crisis of the pandemic, as a short-term remedy for lockdowns and working from home has quietly become the 'new normal' for many Australian workplaces." (Thousands of employees have apparently even purchased mouse-jiggling software just to fool the surveillance software.)But is there a larger issue? "The vast majority of people are not paid enough for the productivity that is demanded of them ," argues BuzzFeed's former senior culture writer (now publishing a newsletter called "Culture Study.") After looking at technology's escalating demands, Petersen warns that the real problem is that human productivity ultimately has a ceiling."We have to collectively reject the engine of endless growth, and the aspiration for infinite productivity, before it breaks us all."Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader theodp for sharing the stories!

Source: Slashdot.org

Powered by NewsAPI.org