Lady Fired for Using Keystroke Technology

Woman Fired for Keystroke Tech: Aware Of Problems

Several cutting-edge technologies have been used by most businesses in tracking productivity within their remote workers in years past. Among these is keystroke tracking technology, which keeps track of just how many keystrokes a worker has been made to type on his or her computer. While some businesses claim that such a technology is necessary such that their remote workers are indeed producing quality work, others vindicate it as a violation of privacy.

 

 

In the course of tracking work done by some employees, keystroke tracking has, in a number of cases, led to the termination of employees from duty. For instance, in the year 2023, an Australian lady had her consultancy job terminated based on the usage of keystroke technology by her employer in assessing staff productivity. The lady had served the Insurance Australia Group for eighteen years before she was handed a formal warning regarding her performance. She was trying to increase her production, but the manager discovered that she was not typing enough for this remote job and fired her. After this event, people argued on the next big question: Are monitoring tools in the workplace intrusive or necessary?

 

Case Study: Female Employee Fired Due to Keystroke Monitoring Mishap Summary

Suzie Cheikho, an employee of Insurance Australia Group, was sacked for purportedly working too slow in her home–environment in typing. The key-stroke monitoring devices detected extremely low keystroke activities at times Cheikho had logged in to work. In October, November, and December 2022, Cheikho made no keystrokes at all over 117, 60, and 143 hours, respectively [1].

 

After her dismissal from IAG after eighteen years of service, Cheikho claimed unfair dismissal to the Australian Fair Work Commission (‘FWC’). However, at the end of the procedure, FWC was of the view that Cheikho’s dismissal was justifiable and not unfair. The valid reasons outlined for IAG were concerns over poor performance, paired with the warning given to her.

Consequences to Law

Employee privacy is a major concern, and the possibility of the abuse of such technologies by employers remains. The FWC found that the IAG did not breach any privacy laws or acts in the case of Cheikho because the business had previously obtained consent from the employees to monitor their keystrokes upon notification by the same.

 

However, some attorneys have pointed out that even with such technology, it would still constitute a breach of privacy if the employees were unaware how their information would be collected and used.

 

How Employees’ Privacy Would Be Affected

The case of Suzie Cheikho has brought to the inkling that there are really privacy dangers under the consideration of keyboard-tracking technologies. Employers will argue, of course, that this form of technology is absolutely necessary to ensure efficiency and to guard against fraud. To workers, however, it simply means that their privacy may be invaded and that an air of continuous supervision hangs over their heads.

 

The use is probably going to grow with the implementation of remote work rules by more businesses after the COVID-19 epidemic. How politicians and judges will reconcile: the right to privacy and autonomy in the workplace together with the requirements of productivity and security, can only be a point of speculation.

 

[1] News item: 0fc7ac2e6ab965e172af4bf0010d16b4; Fair Work Commission decides: iags termination of Suzie Cheik for not typing on her laptop enough was justified.

 

[2] 7news.com.au/business/workplace-matters/woman-fired-after-monitoring-from-home-found-that-she-wasnt-typing-enough-c-11525714

 

[3] The article “WfH Employee Fired: IAG Company Keystroke Technology Surveillance Typing Australia 2023-8” was released on Business Insider on August 8, 2023.

Workplace Keystroke Technology

One example of this kind of tracking software is the keystroke tracking software, which keeps track of keys, pressed in a keyboard. This technology is used by employers to monitor the productivity of staff members and to control the misuse of resources in their companies. This keystroke technology raises ethical questions since care must be taken while deploying it, taking best practices into consideration. It could, however, be applied to the business.

Types of Keystroke Tracking Software

There are so many types of keystroke tracking software, and all of them have their distinguishing features and functions. Unlike this, some of the applications could track each of the key strikes the operator punches in, while others can just track some particular key strikes or can even track the quantity of time taken on any one job. Other applications record audio and video as well as capture snapshots to give an overview of what an employee is up to.

Moral Issues to Consider

Also, while using the technologies for keystroke tracking, cases of encroaching on the autonomy rights of the workers and their privacy may be raised as ethical issues. Employers have to balance between their employees and the need for surveillance. Employers should seek the informed consent of the employees and be open and honest about how they use the surveillance tools. Employers must also ensure that workers know their rights and set their clearly stated regulations and standards for the use of monitoring tools.

Best Practices for Employers

 

There are a few recommended practices that employers who use keystroke tracking software should follow. Some of them include:

 

Clearly inform workers of the purpose and the extend of the monitoring.

 

Obtain consent of workers prior to implementation of monitoring software.

 

Develop policies and procedures around the use of monitoring software.

 

Limit monitoring to work related activities.

Providing feedback and coaching for employees using the monitoring data and ensuring that the data produced is well-cared and access to that is kept under the curb and only allowed to those who can, namely authorized persons

With the following ideal practices, employers can use keystroke logging software ethically, transparently, and productively:.