In the new era of remote hiring, employers and telecommuting staff must tread a fine line between trust, oversight and micromanagement, experts say.
Their comments came after a civil settlements court in British Columbia ordered the accountant to pay her former employer more than $2,600 after tracking software showed she had been “stealing time” while working from home. A few days later.
The worker appeared in court alleging that he had been dismissed for no reason.
Sandra Robinson, an organizational psychologist and professor at the University of British Columbia’s Sodar School of Business, said the main reason employers are sticking with remote or hybrid work arrangements long after pandemic restrictions have been lifted is: It is about providing flexibility to ensure a happy workforce.
But Robinson said some tools that allow employers to monitor how employees are spending their time while working from home, such as software that continuously tracks employee computer activity, It warns that undermining trust can “backfire”.
“One of the things I tell my managers is that one of the best ways to build trust is to trust them, and that trust pays off,” she says.
According to her, research shows that the less trusted employees feel, the less responsible they may be at work.
Computer tracking software can cause unnecessary stress and resistance in employees, Robinson adds, because adults tend not to like being constantly monitored.
Monitoring telecommuters can also create unrealistic standards that even many office environments do not adhere to.
“Usually no one microcontrols what you do, right?
Research shows that people in many professions aren’t always “on,” offering measurable work for eight or more straight hours, even in the office, says Robinson.
“Our brains can only function to a limited extent. Will we really be raising standards that don’t exist in the real workplace? Because they only want to be paid when they “really” get results. jobs? “
Robinson says there are many other signals that someone is not keeping up with their work.
A BC court ruling issued Wednesday shows the accountant launched a $5,000 claim for unpaid wages and severance payments, alleging he was fired without cause last March.
However, her employer, Reach CPA Inc., said software data showed a discrepancy of 50 hours between her timesheets and her computer usage over the course of a month, and said that her wages and advance payments had been cut short. filed a counterclaim claiming the Department.
“Theft of time in the context of employment is considered a very serious misconduct,” court member Megan Stewart wrote in the judgment.
Especially in a remote work environment, trust and integrity are essential.
The woman’s misconduct “has caused an irreparable breakdown in her employment relationship with Leach,” Stewart said, and her dismissal proved commensurate.
Vancouver-based attorney Shafik Bhalloo, who specializes in labor and employment law, likewise said the case was serious because submitting false work hours amounted to fraud.
“The conduct itself was so serious that it violated the duty of integrity that an employee has in his relationship with his employer and damaged trust. I can not do it.
But Bhalloo doesn’t believe the lawsuit will open the floodgates for employers to sue employees for time theft.
Faking women, he says, stands apart from other activities such as taking personal phone calls during working hours.
“I work from home. I may have pets and may need attention once or twice. Maybe there’s a gardener you need, or a mailman who comes to your door, and if I’m in the office, I’ll take a vacation I wouldn’t otherwise do,” he says.
Such activities, he says, do not warrant dismissal unless they become habitual and employees heed warnings to correct their behavior.
Canadian law is still “developing” when it comes to handling disputes over working from home, and context will matter in court, he said.
Brenna Owen, Canadian Press
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