Workplace Monitoring: Why Long Work Hours May Not Always Reflect Productivity

The Evolution of Workplace Monitoring

With over 20 years of work experience, I’ve worked across various industries, including an e-learning company where I managed instructional design. A year into my tenure, the company was acquired, and while branding and operations changed, our jobs remained intact—until one day, a pop-up appeared every time we locked our screens or were ‘idle’ online.

This dropdown menu required us to select reasons like “Gone for lunch” or “Taking a break.” Initially, it seemed harmless, but soon, it became intrusive—interrupting client calls screen shares, and even moments of pause. The new CEO justified it with the phrase, “Time is money, and money is time,” emphasising that monitoring would ensure employees were mindful of their time off.

Micromanagement in a Creative Industry: A Paradox

Instructional design in the e-learning space thrives on creativity. We were producing high-stakes, compliance-based training content across various industries, such as oil and gas, FMCG, and life sciences—demanding cognitive flexibility and innovation and breaks were part of the creative process.

But this new culture of ‘productive policing’ robbed us of something vital—trust. Employees with over a decade of loyal service felt betrayed. The joy and energy disappeared. All we heard on internal calls was frustration. The workplace stopped feeling human.

The Psychological Toll of Micromanagement

This wasn’t an isolated case. In subsequent companies, pre-installed monitoring software flagged employees if they didn’t clock a minimum of 7–8 hours daily. Emails with red flags marked those “underperforming”—even if their output was impeccable. As Reporting Managers, we were asked to justify why our team has spent a smaller number of hours on the laptop. Colleagues gradually started to shorten their breaks and dreaded stepping away from their screens—ironically, even on days when workloads were lighter.

Productivity ≠ Hours Logged: Outdated Metrics

This obsession with long hours on the laptop is a hangover from the Industrial Revolution—a time when productivity was measured by output per hour on assembly lines. However, modern workplaces require innovation, problem-solving, creativity, research, rework and adaptability—qualities that cannot be measured solely by screen time.

A conceptual review of work-life balance in India emphasises that long working hours lead to stress, reduced motivation, and job dissatisfaction. Employees who are confined to repetitive tasks often lose their creativity, disengage, and eventually stop volunteering ideas.

Research confirms that 56% of monitored employees feel tense or stressed out through workplace tracking (apa.org). A conceptual review of work-life balance in India notes that long working hours increase stress, depress motivation, erode job satisfaction, and drain creativity, ultimately leading to disengagement (hbr.org).

The Diversity of Work Styles

Not all employees function at 100% efficiency every day. Some days, they operate at 80%, while on other days, they operate at 50%, but they consistently show up and contribute. Strict monitoring disregards individual work rhythms, forcing employees into rigid moulds that stifle creativity.

A 2020 Harvard Business Review study found that knowledge workers are most productive during focused bursts of activity, rather than sitting at their desks for extended periods (hbr.org). Yet, rigid hour-tracking penalises exactly those natural rhythms.

AI and Mistrust in the Workplace

As if ‘time policing’ weren’t enough, the narrative now shifts to AI replacing jobs. Instead of using AI as a creative partner, it’s portrayed as the enemy. This shortsightedness of the management adds another layer of fear and insecurity among employees.

A Gartner survey predicted that organisations overly focused on automation without human enablement may experience a 30% drop in employee engagement.

Surveys, such as Slack’s State of Work 2023, show that trusted employees are twice as productive and four times more satisfied than those under surveillance (hbr.org, wired.com). Policing culture destroys trust—and, with it, real performance.

The Corporate Exodus: Employees Seeking Freedom

After leaving the corporate world, it took weeks to shake off the surveillance hangover—the feeling of constantly being monitored and anytime I would get pulled up by my manager that I’m not spending enough hours on my laptop. Many talented employees quit due to overbearing monitoring despite clocking 8-14 hours daily.

A Call for Trust and Balance

Numbers matter, but they don’t always give the whole picture. Sometimes, trusting one’s employees and allowing them breathing space to think, innovate, and recharge work wonders. The more companies tighten control, the greater the risk of losing valuable talent.

In fact, the more they try to control their employees, the more they’ll find methods to bypass them, and that is a workplace culture we seldom want.

Sometimes, productivity isn’t about constant output—it’s about creating space for fresh perspectives. Whether it’s a walk in the sun, a casual chat with a colleague, or reading current affairs, these moments fuel creativity and clarity.

Perhaps if we adopt a kinder approach, recognising that faith and trust drive actual productivity—not rigid surveillance —this could help.

A Call for Self-Worth and Balance

Since I’ve personally been through this phase, I now mentor and coach talented professionals who find themselves at a crossroads—feeling undervalued, overworked, and unappreciated, with little scope for growth. The constant pressure to clock in a set number of hours weighs heavily, leaving them drained and disconnected from their true potential, let alone productivity. This results in good employees quitting their jobs even when they don’t want to, this leaving them so demotivated that it takes a while for them to bounce back.

While we cannot change the system overnight, we can certainly empower ourselves to thrive, grow, and be productive even in such restrictive work environments.

How mentorship can help professionals

At The Write Compass, our mentorship programs offer a fresh perspective—a renewed approach to work-life balance that prioritises self-worth over rigid corporate metrics. During my corporate years, I mentored my team whenever they sought support, often feeling low and exhausted. Fortunately, the team felt better as they had a positive sounding board, where they weren’t judged and without fear that sharing their frustrations could lead to negative scores in their appraisals. However, professional boundaries limited how much I could genuinely help. I could offer a patient and empathetic ear, encouragement, and remind them of the stability of a monthly salary—but after a point, even that wasn’t enough.

Sadly, even the appraisal metrics had a KPI where the team had to clock in a minimum number of hours on the laptop, as that was equated to productivity. Sometimes, the team couldn’t share much input to justify the long or short hours spent on the computer. This caused significant stress among team members, resulting in a decline in motivation levels.

This is where The Write Compass steps in—to guide professionals toward reclaiming their confidence, recognising their dignity, and giving their best in restrictive workplace structures. If you’re feeling stuck, undervalued, or unsure about your career path, The Write Compass’ mentorship programs can help you navigate your career with clarity and purpose.

You deserve more than just a monitor to track your hours at work—you deserve a fulfilling, balanced, and meaningful professional journey.

References:

• Work–life balance in Indian Context: A Conceptual Review
• A STUDY OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE AND ITS IMPACT ON EMPLOYEE PRODUCTIVITY AND MENTAL HEALTH
• Over 50% Indian knowledge workers burned out, 16% are quiet quitting: Slack study
• 57% of employees feel burnt out, 62% say WFH keeps them on screen: Report
• Apploye, Employee Monitoring Statistics 2025
• APA, Employee electronic monitoring and stress
• HBR, Research: Knowledge workers are more productive from home (focused bursts)
• HBR, What Will Work–Life Balance Look Like After the Pandemic? (long hours reduce satisfaction)
• ExpressVPN, Workplace Surveillance U.S. 2025 (surveillance triggers quitting)
• Slack State of Work, 2023 (trust improves productivity and satisfaction)
• Gartner, Employee perceptions of automation and job threat (automation risks engagement)
• Your Boss Wants You Back in the Office. This Surveillance Tech Could Be Waiting for You
• Research: People Still Want to Work. They Just Want Control Over Their Time.
• Research: Knowledge Workers Are More Productive from Home
• The Rise of ‘Invisible Monitoring’: Will Employees Even Know They’re Being Tracked?
• Electronically monitoring your employees? It’s impacting their mental health
• The Research Is Clear: Long Hours Backfire for People and for Companies
• Mentoring In The Workplace: Importance & Benefits
• 6 Benefits Of Mentoring In The 2023 Workplace