Barclays staff slam bosses for using ‘Big Brother’ software that monitors their productivity including trips to the toilet and even tells them to ‘avoid breaks’ leaving them ‘terrified’ to step away from their desks
- A Barclays whistleblower said: ‘The stress this is causing is beyond belief’
- Employees are worried to step away from their desks and take full lunch breaks
- Software tracks trips to the toilet and advises staff to ‘avoid breaks’
Barclays has been slammed by its staff after allegedly installing ‘Big Brother’ software that tracks their productivity and encourages them to ‘avoid breaks’.
The software, which reportedly even records trips to the toilet, was introduced as a pilot at the London headquarters last week.
If staff are not found to have been active enough on their computers, known as being in ‘the zone’, they can be reprimanded in daily updates.
A whistleblower at the banking giant told City A.M: ‘The stress this is causing is beyond belief’.
‘Employees are worried to step away from their desks, have full lunch breaks, take bathroom breaks or even get up for water as we are not aware of the repercussions this might have.
Barclays has been slammed by its staff after allegedly installing ‘Big Brother’ software that tracks their productivity and encourages them to ‘avoid breaks’
The software, allegedly supplied by Sapience, has been installed in the product control department in the investment bank division.
The company’s website states that the software offers ‘automated work pattern reporting and real-time analytics’ and ‘unprecedented visibility into how people work, with actionable insights to better manage cost and performance across teams’.
A report is compiled which shows employees’ workday activity. An assessment, called ‘work yoga’, that was sent to an employee earlier this week and seen by City A.M., said: ‘Not enough time in the Zone yesterday!’
It proceeded to offer tips including disabling email pop ups, and avoiding breaks of over 20 minutes.
The whistleblower described the software as having turned the office into a ‘Big Brother state’.
The software, which reportedly even records trips to the toilet, was introduced as a pilot at the London headquarters last week. Stock picture of Barclays head office in Canary Wharf
And this isn’t the first time Barclays has been accused of invading the privacy of its employees.
In 2017 the firm also received backlash for using OccupEye sensors that monitored how long employees were at their desks for.
The director of privacy campaign group, Big Brother Watch, said: ‘The use of this technology is creepy and should be urgently reviewed.’
Silkie Carlo added that just because managers wouldn’t get away with monitoring employees’ screens in real life, ‘the availability of technology to surveil staff surreptitiously does not make it any more acceptable’.
A Barclays spokesman told City A.M.: This type of technology is widely used across the industry to help identify what is working well and opportunities to improve processes. Colleague wellbeing is of paramount importance and colleagues are free to take breaks whenever they choose.’
Sapience has been contacted for comment.