The Daily Telegraph has withdrawn so-called energy efficiency monitors fitted beneath staff desks after a number of employees expressed concerns over their privacy.
Staff at the national newspaper found small black ‘OccupEye’ boxes fitted under their desks after the weekend. Buzzfeed reported yesterday that staff had not previously been notified of the plans, and Google searches of the device immediately sparked concerns that management was covertly monitoring employee productivity.
The product’s manufacturer describes the device as a “wireless workspace utilisation sensor system” which uses heat and motion sensors to determine when a desk or particular area is being used to produce real-time reports of “space utilisation data”.
After employees raised concerns with management, an internal memo seen by Buzzfeed claimed that the devices had been fitted as part of an energy efficiency drive within the company’s offices.
It explained that the devices were due to be installed for a period of weeks to make floors in the building “as energy efficient as possible” in order to reduce the amount of power used to heat, light and cool offices when they are vacant or sparsely used.
The project fell under the newspaper’s green energy measures and any data gathered was to be used to draw up reports on how frequently broad areas of its offices were used.
But while OccupEye claims the product can be used to “inform a wide range of decisions and management reports”, including the formation of agile working strategies, it makes no mention of their use in energy efficiency reports.
By yesterday evening the newspaper had responded to concerns in a further internal email sent to employees indicating that the devices would be removed “immediately”.
“We will be looking at alternative ways to gather the environmental sustainability data we need, and will keep staff in touch with any new proposals,” the email read.
