“Productivity Big Brother” in Organizations: The Advancement of Digital Monitoring and the Limits of Corporate Surveillance

Since the pandemic, many companies have adopted technologies to monitor productivity—and now, according to InfoMoney, this movement goes beyond remote work: “Productivity Big Brother” is even advancing in in-person environments.
Read the full article at: https://www.infomoney.com.br/business/big-brother-de-produtividade-deve-avancar-nas-empresas-mesmo-no-presencial/

The article notes that approximately 60% of large corporations already use some type of tool to track employee activity—clicks, program usage, screen time, etc. This technological advancement promises efficiency gains, but brings with it serious economic, cultural, and legal challenges.

The Main Risks of Unrestricted Digital Surveillance
1. High Operating Costs
Digital surveillance licenses cost between R$50 and R$160 per employee/month—a significant burden for small and medium-sized businesses that already operate with tight margins.
2. Effects on Mentality and Performance
Studies show that environments with high surveillance can lead to a drop in productivity of up to 7% due to stress, feelings of distrust, and loss of autonomy.
3. Legal and Privacy Risks
Although workplace surveillance is legal under certain conditions, abuses can constitute moral damages and violations of the LGPD. Excessive data extraction—such as screen recordings or keystroke logging—is among the most questionable practices.
4. Monitoring Does Not Guarantee Delivery
Surveillance focuses on appearances (clicks, active time), while true productivity comes from deliveries, impact, and process fluidity. A person may be “active” but unproductive or focused on deep tasks that require less visible activity. 

5. Continuity in the In-Person Environment
Even with the return to the office, tracking continues: companies continue to monitor corporate email, browsing, and system usage. The workplace has changed, but “control” remains.

Productivity Radar: The bridge between control and trust
Instead of replacing leadership with surveillance, Radar offers a balanced and effective approach:
• Robust Version 3: New charts and indicators that combine clarity with depth.
• Active Directory/SSO integration: Facilitates secure access and organizes the company’s hierarchy.
• Automatic import of the Microsoft Teams structure: Ensures that the existing organizational chart is respected.
• Microsoft Exchange integration: Captures meetings from the corporate calendar for flow analysis.
• Productivity Index calculation from three sources: meetings, communication (Teams), and computer activity (via agent) — resulting in an integrated, reliable, and objective view. Radar does not monitor private content. This means the company measures productivity without crossing ethical or legal boundaries.

With these features, Radar offers evidence-based management, not assumptions, and avoids the costs and risks of excessive control.

Conclusion
As the “Big Brother of Productivity” gains ground, structured companies must choose between blind surveillance and ethical intelligence.
Productivity Radar is a bridge to this evolution: it offers real visibility, fairer decisions, and a healthy balance between control and trust.