Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has urged companies not to spy on their employees who work from home, despite a recent report that bosses trust their employees less to do so.
The company’s report indicates that 85% of leaders believe it “is a challenge to be sure employees are productive,” despite an enormous 153% increase in pre-pandemic Microsoft Teams.
Almost the same number of workers (87%) believe they are more productive working from home and even report burnout. Drops in virtual meetings have increased 84% in the last two years, while RSVP’s initial responses have increased by a significant 216% as bosses turn to regular briefings to monitor their teams’ performance.
Monitoring staff using Microsoft Viva
“We need to get around what we call ‘productivity paranoia’ because all the data we have shows that more than 80% of individuals think they are very productive – except that their management thinks they are not are productive, “Nadella said … BBC (opens in a new tab).
Microsoft Vice President Jared Spataro added to Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)“There is a growing debate about employee supervision and [the company has] really strong attitude – we just think it’s not the right thing.
“We don’t think employers should monitor and record keystrokes, mouse clicks and that sort of thing, because in many ways we think it’s a heat measurement and not a result.”
There is a lot of personnel monitoring software out there, but Microsoft believes it can offer something else that will encourage employees to prioritize their goals.
Its Viva platform, which is used by 10 million monthly active users, has just undergone a major update, offering even more valuable tools, including the introduction of Viva Pulse, which is designed to facilitate feedback between the company’s employees.