All companies track workers. This may occur passively or actively but behaviors are logged in some way, often electronically. This surveillance of workers has been true for generations and is part of the long history of work. Some workplace surveillance is high tech and may make use of keyword detection, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. Some elements of it are very human. The corporation you work for has its own investigative and information-gathering capabilities that can be turned against you as a worker. This may happen when a claim is made to human resources, management, or to the press. This also can happen for seemingly no reason at all; an apparatus can be put into effect that can have a powerful impact on the outcome — and on your life. Oftentimes your best ally is preparation and knowing what to do in the event you need to report something. While it may feel too late because you didn’t take preventative steps in the past, there are always helpful actions that can be made or taken. This guide covers the simple and complex steps you can take. At the end of the day, you are in charge of your personal privacy and safety.

This guide is designed to walk you through steps to take at three points in your career. The first is for workers who are new to a job or have yet to witness and report any incidents. In your employee work or consulting agreement there is often language detailing who owns the data you create for work, as well as the data around that data: things like phone logs, emails written from work devices, even what you printed, where and when you printed it, etc. Oftentimes workers are signing an agreement to be investigated, monitored, and spied on. While the tactics, techniques, and procedures used by these teams have a legitimate purpose, the tools and resources are easily misused and abused. Sometimes this takes the form of special technology nicknamed “productivity metrics,” “productivity tracking,” or, more aptly, “tattleware” or “bossware.”

The purpose of this guide is to cover an array of digital, electronic, and counter-surveillance tips that can provide hope, clarity, and some digital safety skills to workers. Consider them your umbrella for a rainy day that hopefully never comes. The global COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in increased employee tracking and monitoring tools in the name of public safety and staff health. The guide touches on considerations when dealing with these concerns.

Note: The views expressed in this guide are the author’s alone, and are not those of his employers.