Spyware makes it harder to find moments to stretch your legs
Written by Dan Parry • 15 May, 2024
Wellbeing Article
Moving more is good for our mental wellbeing, according to the Mental Health Foundation. However, now that people working from home are often monitored, stepping away from the desk to stretch your legs isn’t as easy as it should be. Which is why ‘moving more’, the theme of this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week, is as relevant for businesses as it is for individuals.
For many people, daily exercise once meant commuting. Since the rise in working from home, dashing for the train has been replaced by wandering to the laptop. In the UK, more than a third of adults (36%) do not meet the physical activity recommendations set out by the World Health Organisation, according to a study by the Mental Health Foundation.
A lack of exercise doesn’t just have physical consequences. Connections between physical wellbeing and mental health are well-established. One in six people in England experience the symptoms of a mental health problem in any given week.
The Mental Health Foundation suggests that, in the workplace, early signs of a problem might include:
At Working Voices, we found that challenges to mental health can contribute to disengagement. While businesses widely accept the need for workplace wellbeing, many struggle to find an effective strategy. Most corporate wellbeing perks have been shown to be ineffective, largely due to a failure to get to grips with what’s chipping away at wellbeing in the first place.
Workplace wellbeing can only be effective if it tackles the underlying causes of disengagement. Disengagement isn’t a new problem, it doesn’t come from recent factors such as Covid, hybrid working, AI-related job insecurity, or ineffective company cultures that have been undermined by all of the above. The underlying causes stem from long-term issues including:
1. Doing more with less: in response to the global financial crisis, people were asked to do more with less. This trend continues, though there are limits to how much ‘more’ that people can give.
2. The rise of tech: smartphones, virtual calls, and instant messaging favour short and functional responses. Communication can be a disconnecting experience, leading to a sense of isolation.
3. Lack of workplace humanity: managers who favour faster processes and efficiencies risk disregarding the personal attributes of employees, leading to disengagement and inefficiency.
4. Lack of employee autonomy: a rise in working from home has led to increased remote surveillance. Overseen by AI, employees feel less trusted and lacking in personal autonomy.
This final cause particularly points to contradictions in corporate wellbeing strategies. Where in protecting people’s wellbeing does surveillance sit?
Organisations are committed to their people’s wellbeing. But without the time or resources to investigate the underlying causes of disengagement, many miss three key facts:
The rise in working from home led to an increase in organisations using AI to monitor keystrokes, take snapshots of content on a computer screen, or activate webcams and audio recording.
A UK survey found that 60% of workers reported surveillance and monitoring in 2021, compared to 53% in 2020, prompting concerns from union leaders about “a huge lack of transparency over the use of AI at work.”
Automated tracking devices may log the number of hours worked, though useful calls, meetings, and moments of creative deliberation might not appear in the stats. This may push an employee into working longer hours just to keep an automated system happy so that it doesn’t give negative information to a manager.
One employee reported dry eyes and a sore head at the end of the working day, as “tracking doesn’t allow for thinking time or stepping away and coming back to work – it’s very intense.”
Surveillance can also be a cause of anxiety. The fear of being misreported by AI nudges people toward skipping moments of reflection, creative thought, and opportunities to stretch their legs. Work becomes less about autonomous choices and more about fitting in with the expectations of the software that’s monitoring them.
This over-reliance on automation removes an element of humanity from the workplace. At best, this leads to inaccurate assessments of people; at worse it’s degrading and dehumanising. Losing part of your autonomy at work is demotivating and erodes job fulfilment and satisfaction. This in turns leads to fatigue and anxiety, undermining workplace wellbeing.
When AI’s inflexible analysis casts doubt on the work of employees, questions arise about the relationship between people and tech. Which side of the relationship is respected by leaders? Is it their people or their systems? Which side is playing an automaton support role?
Spyware doesn’t just disrupt employees, it also implies that managers can’t identify individuals who aren’t pulling their weight. Smart managers know that better solutions are available, such as building a team they trust, setting clear deliverables for individuals, and enabling people to look after their mental and physical health.
According to the World Health Organization, “regular physical activity is proven to improve mental health, quality of life and wellbeing.” Exercise has also been shown to be associated with:
Workplace wellbeing strategies that offer gym memberships or yoga classes clearly recognise the benefits of exercise. But these advantages are brushed aside by poor practices such as surveillance or a toxic workplace environment. A one-step-forwards-two-steps-back approach to wellbeing is not sustainable.
At Working Voices, our analysis of the long-term causes of disengagement led us to develop a new approach to wellbeing. This focuses on encouraging a future-proof company culture that’s committed to sustainable working practices, inclusive leadership, and stronger engagement.
By helping individuals better connect with others through stronger trust, belonging, respect, and psychological safety, organisations are able to build a motivating sense of collaboration. We call this social wellbeing, the centrepiece of our Sustainable Human training programme.
Managing the impact of work is the responsibility of both employers and employees. Both have much to gain from an effective wellbeing strategy. Undermining it with poor workplace practices doesn’t help anyone in the long-run. A rounded, healthier approach to work leads to healthier, productive people.
Get our latest insights by subscribing to our newsletter. Each week you'll receive updates helping you to understand and respond to the challenges facing your organisation. We won't share your details with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Learn to tackle the day-to-day challenges faced by women in the workplace with confidence, control and conviction.
This fast-paced interactive talk delivered by our motivational keynote speakers provides insight on how women can communicate with more impact and how they can develop within a leadership role by enhancing their personal presence. Our women’s speakers aim to help you build the confidence to be included in meetings, and raise your visibility as an authentic and influential leader. This talk can be tailored to your business and any specific requirements you might have.
The founder and CEO of Working Voices, Nick Smallman has been at the top of his profession for 25 years. Advising global blue-chip clients on engagement, productivity, and retention, he counsels leaders on increasing revenue via simple cultural adjustments.
Overseeing the successful expansion of Working Voices across the UK, the US, Asia, and the Middle East, Nick supports the leadership and communication capabilities of clients in a wide range of sectors. In particular, he has advised companies such as JP Morgan, Barclays, Sony, Nomura, M&S, and Blackrock for more than 15 years.
Developing his reputation for thought leadership, in recent years Nick has been leading work on The Sustainable Human, the subject of his forthcoming book. A concept unique to Working Voices, The Sustainable Human offers a package of solutions focusing on leadership enablement, future skills, and cultural harmony.
Working closely with HR specialist Mercer, Nick has developed solutions to four key modern workplace challenges:
“I’m excited to share the conclusions of three years of research that, if implemented, can make an immediate practical difference to leaders and their organisations.”
All articles by Nick Smallman
Our motivating keynote speakers will help you to gain an understanding of how you present yourself to others and how they identify with you. You’ll also gain an understanding of how influence and the development of a personal brand can enhance your impact. In this enthusing talk our expert business speakers will explore the practicalities and techniques involved in developing a suitable personal brand and creating a strong personal impact.
Networking skills are important for achieving success in business. This talk delivered by our engaging keynote speakers will provide you with an insight into good networking etiquette. Our business speakers will focus on understanding the importance of networking, how to plan and prep before an event. You’ll learn some good tips for reading group body language and some essential icebreakers to get you started.
Parents all over the world are becoming increasingly worried about the effect of screen use on their children’s mental health. In addition to a lack of understanding as to what they are looking at there is the deeper issue of how online behaviour is shaping the way that children think and form relationships. We unpack the neuroscience behind the addictive nature of screen time and offer a blueprint to help parents coach their children towards a more fruitful relationship with the internet.
The internet is lauded as a giant leap for communication and a vehicle for mass connection in a busy world. What is also becoming clear is the opportunity for bad actors to manipulate important social, cultural and political conversations through the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation. We lay bare the methods that are used to inject confusion and grievance into the conversation and how we as consumers are not naturally wired to combat this. We will offer a framework to help protect you from fake news, distraction and getting sucked in to destructive communication
70% of people will experience a genuine fear of being exposed as not good enough, of being a fraud in their working lives; this talk will help you combat such feelings and deliver practical guidance that will help you feel confident and comfortable when taking on the next big challenge.
In a world dominated by showmen, charismatics and influencers it is becoming more and more difficult to find leaders that are intellectually credible as well as influential. The ability to think critically is being downgraded while the ability to attract attention is lauded. It is possible to do both and we will show how strong mental models can underpin a long-term leadership persona.
The self-help industry is an ever expanding and hugely popular vehicle for personal development. Humans have an innate desire to improve themselves and raise their status – what’s not to love? However, some of the ideas and tropes used in many of the self-help products available rely on flawed thinking to be successful. We explore 6 major themes, deconstruct their effectiveness and relevance in the modern world and provide an alternatives that are more effective.
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos (Founder and Chairman of Amazon) that’s why it matters so much. It’s all about creating the right external impression, ensuring it is authentic and makes you stand out from the crowd. This inspirational talk by our expert keynote speakers will explore the methods, techniques and practises of developing an authentic personal brand that gets you noticed.
Presenting can be a daunting ordeal at the best of times but this highly interactive and fast paced talk will help build your confidence and improve your delivery with any audience. Our keynote speaker will take you through how best to prepare for your big moment, along with helping you look and sound the part as well.
TED Talks can be both informative and inspiring, but how do the best speakers deliver their message with such impact? In this talk, one of our inspiring keynote speakers will walk you through the TED method and help you deliver your very own idea with confidence and precision.
Emotional intelligence is about the ability to identify, assess and manage the emotions of yourself, of others and of groups. Having a high EQ will improve your ability to maintain good working relationships and communicate successfully. This highly interactive talk will give you a practical insight into how emotional intelligence works. Our expert keynote speakers will give you a concise overview of the emotional intelligence know-how and stratagems you need to interact commendably with clients and colleagues.
Making a good impression and having a strong personal presence is an important part of being successful in business and in life. Personal impact is about having presence and charisma. In this engaging talk our motivational keynote speakers will explore what both of these actually mean, what they look like and feel like. We will look at the practicalities of each and punctuate both topics with brief exercises to help you to become more aware of the way you interact with others. This is an exciting and interactive talk which our expert business speakers deliver in an inspirational style.
Successful people are super communicators – they think clearly and are expert at interacting with others. They understand themselves, other people and know that superior relationships are the cornerstone to a fulfilling life These characteristics are learned attributes. Now you can master these skills and behaviours and work towards becoming a super communicator yourself.
Improving your influencing skills is important in helping you to build better rapport and have positive relationships with your clients and colleagues. This fast-paced talk delivered by our expert business speakers helps you to explore and develop your existing influencing skills. Our inspiring keynote speakers will focus on maintaining mental and linguistic flexibility when interpreting and presenting information helping you to become an effective influential leader. Our keynote speakers can adapt this talk to your business needs and requirements if requested.
Our sentiments and feelings towards people are created by our own experiences but we’re not always aware of how those sentiments affect the way we act towards people and make decisions about them. Our engaging keynote speakers will bring to light your unconscious bias in this thought provoking talk: how it works, the affect this has on decision making and most importantly, what you can do about it; making sure you are the inclusive leader you wish to be.