85% of UK employers admit to spying on their employees – and workers aren't happy

More than 8 companies out of every 10 have admitted to actively spying on their employees in the UK. Yet, over half of British workers said they would be ready to quit their jobs if subjected to workplace surveillance.

These are the tensions rising across the UK workspace revealed by the latest research conducted by ExpressVPN, one of the best VPN providers on the market.

"These findings highlight an urgent need for greater transparency and trust in the workplace," said Lauren Hendry Parsons, Privacy Advocate at ExpressVPN.

The boom of bossware tools

While we're all accustomed to physical surveillance in the workplace – think about all the security cameras or your personal badge – remote work surveillance isn't as visible. Yet, as remote working gets more widespread, bosses are finding new ways to monitor their employees.

Known as bossware (portmanteau of boss and spyware), it refers to software installed on workers' devices to monitor their activities. This may include the websites they visit, the apps they use, keystrokes, and even screen monitoring to gauge performance and productivity levels.

The team of privacy experts interviewed 1,000 employees and 1,000 employers all across the country to discover their attitudes toward this rising trend, unveiling a clear discrepancy between British bosses and employees.

As mentioned earlier, 85% of employers in the UK admitted to using some form of online monitoring. Not only that, nearly three-quarters of UK bosses (72%) said they were more comfortable with in-person work as it requires less surveillance.

On the other hand, British workers have expressed concerns about workplace surveillance, with the vast majority (79%) arguing that the government should better regulate the use of bossware technologies.

Almost half of the respondents (42%) believe online communications monitoring, such as emails, chats, and video calls, to be unethical. Yet, 45% of employees suspect that they've already been the object of workplace monitoring.

Worryingly, even more Brits (46%) said that the prospect of their boss spying on their online activities and communications has an impact on their stress and anxiety levels. A few respondents (17%) would even be willing to take a 25% pay cut to avoid being monitored.

According to Parsons, employers must find a balance between enabling productivity and respecting employee privacy, no matter where their employees are working.

She said: "Over-surveillance can lead to a toxic work environment, increased stress, lower productivity, and ultimately, higher turnover rates. It’s essential for organizations to adopt transparent and ethical monitoring practices that prioritize the well-being of their employees."