An expert has revealed the little-known ways that savvy bosses can ensure that work from home employees are doing their jobs properly.
Speaking on Sunrise, workplace relations lawyer Michael Byrnes told host Nat Barr that employers have every right to monitor workers who are based at home.
WATCH VIDEO ABOVE: Expert reveals surprising ways bosses can spy on staff
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The advice comes after it was revealed that a woman was fired from her job after 18 years after her boss checked her activity and found she wasn’t typing enough on her computer.
It was determined that the employee was late on 47 days, didn’t work her rostered hours on 44 days and performed no work on four days.
The case caused a stir online, with Aussies fearing they are being spied on by their employers when working from home.
But Byrnes said employees shouldn’t be surprised to know they are being monitored by bosses.
“When you’re working from home, your home becomes the workplace,” he said.
“And employers have a right to monitor or survey you while you’re in the workplace, subject to workplace surveillance legislation.
“Pretty much all the employer needs to do is to give you notice that they are monitoring you – and they can do that by computer or even by camera.
“But employers have a right to do it. And there really isn’t a universal or broad right of privacy.
“So I think this will come as a surprise to a lot of employees, the extent to which employers can do this.”
The lawyer says there are several little-known ways that bosses can monitor their employees.
“They need to be careful about ensuring that they actually are working from home, doing what they need to do,” he said.
“Because there can be what’s called ‘Bossware’ on their computers which enables employers (to monitor workers) – like keystroke technology, determining whether you’re moving your mouse, even some camera technology to determine where you are at any given point in time, whether they’re actually at your computer working.
“Employers need to be aware this can be technology deployed by employers to determine whether or not you’re actually doing your job when you’re at home.”
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