Mike Ingram - Microsoft’s new “Productivity Score” helps employers spy on workers

 It can even tell bosses how well-connected you are to other employees, which will indicate to them how successful you are likely to be in driving the company forward. 

Microsoft has expanded the analytics provided with its Office 365 suite of productivity applications into a “full-fledged workplace surveillance tool” according to privacy advocates.

The tool, called Productivity Score, allows employers to know the number of days a person was active on Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Skype and Teams over the previous four weeks and on what type of device.

J.S. Nelson is an associate professor of law at Villanova University who studies workplace surveillance. She told Forbes the software is “horrendous.” “Why are they monitoring people this way and what is that telling people about the relationship they should have with their employers in the workplace? What message are you sending?” she asked. 

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Mike Ingram - Microsoft’s new “Productivity Score” helps employers spy on workers