Home workers kept under watch to stop them skiving
Home workers are being kept under watch almost constantly by some companies through a form of video monitoring partly designed to prevent staff from slacking.
The practice, known as 'body doubling', encourages remote workers to remain on all-day video calls with one or more colleagues, essentially carrying out their tasks in the presence of others.
While they do not necessarily need to interact, the on-screen presence of others allows employers to have more oversight over staff and ensure they remain at their desks.
Originally developed as a support tool for children with ADHD, body doubling is now being promoted by some human resources departments as an aid for adults who work from home.
Employers experimenting with the system have reported that it improved the output of home workers. Advocates also claimed it can reduce feelings of isolation among staff.
A study by the University of East London, which surveyed 101 users of the virtual co-working platform Flown, found that the majority said the method improved concentration and productivity.
Alice Lang, a senior digital PR executive at Marketing Signals, uses body doubling twice a week. 'I love working remotely and appreciate the flexibility it brings, but I do sometimes miss the everyday chat that comes with an office,' she told The Times.
'Body doubling feels like the perfect middle ground for people like me. I still get to work from home, but with some company when I need it. It's also been great for keeping me focused, especially on days when motivation is a bit low.'
However, one remote worker at a firm that recently introduced body doubling said it 'can feel quite Big Brother-y' being visible on camera throughout the day.
The employee, who wished to remain anonymous, said: 'Sometimes it feels a bit much. I don't really want someone monitoring my every move. It can feel quite Big Brother-y being watched in your own home for hours at a time.'
William Arruda, a workplace consultant, said the system has its pitfalls. He said employees could fall into the 'chit-chat trap', adding there was also the potential for 'privacy problems'.
Mr Arruda said the model would not suit all employees and should be optional because 'some people thrive in silence and solitude'.
He added: 'I do think it could feel a bit uncomfortable if it were something imposed by a company. It's nice having the flexibility to do it, or not, depending on how I'm feeling.'
The rise in working from home since the pandemic has repeatedly been blamed for Britain's sluggish productivity growth.
Lord Rose, the former chairman of Asda, has claimed the rise in people working from home has set Britain's economy back by 20 years.
In January, when asked if the UK could afford to work from home, Lord Rose told BBC One's Panorama programme: 'I don't believe it can.
'This country is in a parlous place, we have regressed in this country in terms of working practices, productivity and in terms of the country's wellbeing, I think, by 20 years in the last four.
'We are creating a whole generation and probably a generation beyond that of people who are used to actually not doing what I call proper work.
'I believe that productivity is less good if you work from home. I believe that your personal development suffers, that you're not going to develop as well as you might if you've been in the workplace as long as I have.'
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