Definition
Employee monitoring software tracking productivity, keystrokes, screen activity, and sometimes location data during remote work. It's productivity theater that assumes workers are fundamentally untrustworthy and need constant surveillance.
Example Usage
After going remote, our company mandated Bossware tracking, which crashed productivity as employees felt surveilled.
Origin
Modern software category emerging in the 2010s; exploded during COVID remote work
Fun Fact
Bossware often backfires, with 60% of monitored employees reporting decreased trust in management and higher stress.
Source: Modern HR Technology and Workplace Ethics
Related Terms
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See “Bossware” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.
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