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    Employee forced to meet with HR because his "engagement score" dropped 7 points last quarter: 'This is about being graded by software that has no idea what my job is'

    How would you respond if you found out that your employer was tracking your every move?

    Transparency is paramount in the workplace. If employees are expected to be upfront about their productivity and efficiency, then the same should be said of the reverse. After all, most workers have a concrete list of known performance indicators to meet, and if they are fulfilling those tasks and responsibilities without giving anyone any grief, then their methods of completing their work should not necessarily be an issue, right? Wrong!

    Apparently, at this company, remote workers who were not as easy to monitor were being tracked in ways that were not known to them. When this author received an automated email that his so-called "engagement score" dropped and that he needed to have a "wellness check-in" with human resources, he started to dig deeper and ended up learning that exactly how this engagement score was calculated.

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    • A woman from Human Resources scans a document as she meets with a male employee.
      via Vitaly Gariev

      A woman from Human Resources scans a document as she meets with a male employee.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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    • [I] got an automated email saying my "engagement score" dropped 7 points last quarter and i have to meet with HR

      i don't even know what an engagement score is. i found out i had one yesterday. apparently our company rolled out a workforce analytics platform sometime in q4. nobody
      via Several_Function_129
    • told us. it tracks "engagement signals" which based on the HR doc i finally found buried in confluence includes: hours of active screen time, slack
      via Several_Function_129
    • message volume, meeting attendance, response latency, and "collaborative footprint." it spits out a daily number. mine has been trending down for ten weeks.
      via Several_Function_129
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    • A Human Resources representative scans a document as she meets with a male employee in a conference room.
      via Vitaly Gariev

      A Human Resources representative scans a document as she meets with a male employee in a conference room.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • It turns out that the company was tracking superfluous methods of productivity, from active screen time on his work laptop to Slack message volume. These metrics, of course, are superficial ways of measuring productivity, but in the eyes of upper management, they were the determining factor in deciphering who was going above and beyond and who was merely meeting expectations (as if that would be such a bad thing).

      Naturally, there was a legitimate reason why the author had been more inactive online. He was working on a comprehensive project that often required him to go offline to focus. His manager was well aware of this and even encouraged him to do so. What makes this anecdote especially frustrating is that the author now has to defend himself when his manager simply shrugged off the importance of this meeting with HR.

      Clearly, it was important to upper management, and the author's supervisor was not taking the employee's concerns seriously when it came to proving his commitment and productivity in the workplace.

    • here's what was happening during those ten weeks. i was on a project that required me to read four-hundred page legal documents and write a single 12- page summary. I was on slack
      via Several_Function_129
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    • less. i was in fewer meetings, by my manager's request, because she wanted me to focus. i finished the project two days early. she told me i did a great job.
      via Several_Function_129
    • the system flagged me anyway. the system does not know about the project. the system knows about typing.
      via Several_Function_129
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    • A Human Resources representative smiles at an employee while holding a clipboard.
      via Vitaly Gariev

      A Human Resources representative smiles at an employee while holding a clipboard.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • the email says HR wants a 30- minute "wellness check-in" next tuesday to "discuss patterns and identify opportunities to re- engage." my manager forwarded the email with a single line: "this is just procedural, dont worry."
      via Several_Function_129
    • i don't know how to fight this. i don't know what evidence i'm supposed to bring. do i print out the legal summary? do i make a slide deck about the work i did?
      via Several_Function_129
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    • this isn't about the engagement score. this is about being graded by software that has no idea what my job is.
      via Several_Function_129
    • A Human Resources representative shakes hands with her male employee.
      via Vitaly Gariev

      A Human Resources representative shakes hands with her male employee.

      Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

    • Evidence Historical55. You bring the details of the project and ask how the system will be updated to not waste the valuable time of company personal in future meetings after they've been engaged in deep, assigned, solo work.
      via Several_Function_129
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    • Imaginary-Friend-228. Invite your manager to the meeting and bring all documentation you have. Insist on recording the meeting and or email a written summary at the end
      via Several_Function_129
    • EvilTupac ⚫ Simply provide the 12 page document, explain you've been working on that, and ask for them to change their policies so they don't waste employees time with pointless and inaccurate meetings like that.
      via Several_Function_129
    • Nota Millenial2day ⚫ Ask HR how much time and money is being wasted on a system that is so obviously wrong? What incentive are you being given to do your job thoroughly and well, if
      via Several_Function_129
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    • doing your job that way results in being flagged by their sub-par big brother employee surveillance system? Between the HR person, your manager, and
      via Several_Function_129
    • you, how much is the out of pocket cost to address the wrong data their system is presenting? Between salary and benefits, it'll be several hundred dollars per hour of meeting time.
      via Several_Function_129

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