Monitoring work-from-home workers via webcams not feasible, Lenovo says

MONITORING work-from-home employees through their web cameras is not a good idea as it is difficult to impose, according to Lenovo Philippines, noting that there are alternative tools that companies can use to track productivity.

“No, [it’s not a good idea] definitely… Parang ang hirap namang mag-impose (it seems hard to impose) that they should open their camera, right?” Lenovo Philippines President and General Manager Michael Ngan said at an online press briefing on Tuesday.

“Maybe, the manager or the direct supervisor can impose that… It depends on the company. But that’s one area that’s very hard to really impose in a work-from-home scenario,” he added.

He also noted that monitoring productivity has become a challenge for many companies during the pandemic crisis. “When they adopt the work-from-home or work-from-anywhere setup, the biggest challenge is really productivity.”

“Definitely, it’s expected that productivity will drop. But there are tools that are able to track employee productivity while working from home or while working anywhere,” Mr. Ngan explained.

“There is a software that is able to really monitor and capture how many times you opened your e-mail, how many times you spoke to your customers over VoIP (voice over internet protocol), and a lot more,” he added.

In its recent study on the future of work and digital transformation, Lenovo found that 83% of information technology decision makers surveyed globally expect post-pandemic work to be remote “for at least half the time.”

“Companies are now deviating from the standard business arrangement as technology empowers them to modify structures as necessary,” Lenovo said in an e-mailed statement.

“A hybrid work arrangement is likely to be a trend, where employers will allow workers to come to the office two to three days per week in a five-day work week,” it added. — Arjay L. Balinbin