Speaking of Psychology ‘Bossware’ and burnout: The psychology of workplace surveillance, with Tara Behrend, PhD
May 13, 2026
Tara Behrend, industrial-organizational psychologist and NSF program director, studies the ethics and effects of workplace tech. She explores why employers monitor workers, how constant surveillance alters attention and raises stress, the growing role of AI in employee data, and the patchwork of laws and limits around collection and transparency.
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U.S. Laws Rarely Limit Employer Monitoring
- U.S. legal protections for employee monitoring are sparse and ownership of workplace data is unclear.
- Behrend notes only specific domains like HIPAA/FERPA limit uses; otherwise employers can track and keep data broadly.
Push For Transparency And Work‑Only Monitoring
- Some states require transparency but federal rules are lacking; compare international standards.
- Behrend points out EU, Canada, Australia demand disclosure and limit monitoring to work-related behaviors, protecting personal emails and GPS use.
Spacebar And Mouse Tricks Reveal Bad Metrics
- Employees invent simple workarounds like weighting the spacebar or mouse movers to appear active.
- Behrend uses these examples to show organizations often measure irrelevant proxies such as keystrokes or availability icons.