Bosses putting a 'digital leash' on remote workers could be crossing a privacy line

With many companies working from home during the pandemic, managers and employers have found themselves in a difficult position with running scattered teams away from the office. Some have turned to technology to help, but they may be walking a dangerous path using tools like artificial intelligence and algorithms to track employees and their work throughout the day, or even facial recognition that can ensure that someone is at their desk. A recent report by the Institute for the Future of Work, a British research and development group, said that algorithmic systems typically used in monitoring the performance of warehouse workers or delivery riders have pervaded more and more industries. Andrew Pakes, deputy general secretary at U.K.-based trade union Prospect, told CNBC that these "digital leash" technologies have been an upward trend for some time and that Covid-19 remote working accelerated it. "This was an issue we were picking up before Covid but over the last year, it's grown rocket boosters as companies have turned to technology," Pakes said.