While some bosses who use these types of software might argue that it’s good for maintaining productivity, research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), external suggests that workplace surveillance can damage trust.

“Monitoring employee behaviour can be a justifiable way to reduce the risk of misconduct and potentially help manage performance,” says Jonny Gifford, senior adviser for organisational behaviour research at the CIPD.

“However, employers should have clear policies so that workers know how they may be monitored, and crucially, it must be proportionate.”

Employers will get “much better results” by supporting employees, he adds, “rather than focusing on potentially irrelevant measures of input, such as the number of keystrokes”.

Jonathan Rennie, partner at UK law firm TLT, also urges caution for firms considering introducing such software.

“Employers have an implied legal duty to maintain their employees’ trust and confidence, and need to be mindful of how employees might react to the mass roll-out of monitoring software,” he says.

He suggests that any firms using monitoring software should have written policies in place explaining how and why it is being used.

There should also be clear guidance for managers and safeguards in place to prevent misuse or “over-monitoring”, he says.