Remote Employers Track Mouse Movement Without Telling You
10 posts across 4 communities in the last 30 days; 60% from r/remotework.
“Sometimes these companies do this to try and get an in with Western companies. I'm in a place in the US where a ton of people do that (Miami). You go to a meetup for my industry, and 90% of people are middlemen trying to get companies to hire offshore South American agency…”
“Why are you entering personal info on work gear? That's not prudent.”
“I cannot take my laptop out of the US unless it's for work-related travel reasons.”
Several posts reveal a growing concern among remote workers about employer monitoring and lack of trust. This includes mouse tracking, laptop restrictions, and general micromanagement, leading to feelings of frustration and decreased autonomy.
SOURCES (60)
“Why the hell would anyone want/allow these things essentially remote accessing their PCs? Are y'all dumb? [re: I'm actually kind of excited lol]”
I bet they ask for a video recording at the end of the application process
“That math is the red flag to me too, especially if they’re offering US-level pay for work they could hire locally for much les.”
“That math is the red flag to me too, especially if they’re offering US-level pay for work they could hire locally for much les.”
“Doesn't make sense in that case - sounds like a scam, but I am a US citizen who works fully remote for a Swiss company”
“Sometimes these companies do this to try and get an in with Western companies. I'm in a place in the US where a ton of people do that (Miami). You go to a meetup for my industry, and 90% of people are middlemen trying to get companies to hire offshore South American agency workers. The issue I always say, "If these workers were so great, why are they going for a fraction of the price?" If they were that amazing, why are the top 20 companies in the world except for Saudi Aramco and”
“Just doesnt make sense. We had a team of 17, 6 of whom had masters degrees, in India at my last place. The cost of that team? Roughly the cost to have 1 salaried engineer here in the US. And just fyi- i also got a linkedin message a few days ago from a recruiter in India. Gotta be a scam, don't fall for it.”
“So if someone goes to visit that country and opens their laptop once to work remotely the employer is now responsible to sponsor a visa and follow new tax laws? What if they open emails or do a call on their phone? This makes any international travel sound so risky to the point that everyone would need strict rules before they ever travel because one call could classify as work and they now have their company owing who knows how much in taxes along with lawsuits”
“That’s an interesting take not knowing whether the position is remote or not.”
“Wait a minute, is it true that it can access webcam to verify activity? This sounds illegal, especially if it’s not a company device where this software is installed. Yikes!”
“If you want to work there then go through the process and specifically ask related questions. Do you provide me with equipment or am I expected to provide my own? Am I required to install anything on my computer? Ive heard that you highly micromanage your employees activity with monitoring software, is this fact or rumor? You can always walk away from the hiring process if you dont like the answers, then dont take a job offer. Your supposed to be interviewing them as well.”
“Why would you voluntarily put yourself in that position? If you’re not working, do what you have to do. If you are, don’t apply to work there”
“My response to this would be "Yes, and I need to make sure I have an employer that trusts me and doesn't have the overwhelming desire to monitor me like a 12 year old on the internet for the first time."”
“Why would you ever admit to your boss that you're running personal errands on your spare time?”
“When I worked in an office I was told the CEO would routinely read our Teams messages. Assume they can see everything. At the office I wouldn’t even use the wifi on my phone. So happy to be out of that toxic mess.”
“WFH for a completely WFH company. I have been to an office a time or two since 2019. I have done more hybrid and completely WFH than in office 100% from the 90s until then. Isn't that what the internet was for?”
Ya like just only use it for work tasks like it’s intended to.
“Depends on the local laws, in many countries the company would get into really big trouble for secretly monitoring”
“Maybe I’m naive but is there any harm in simply asking your IT department? In Canada, your employer must disclose if they’re capturing your information, especially if you ask. Not sure how it works where you live but it couldn’t hurt.”
How many bot posts I’d see about working from home on Reddit.
“Hah. One of my employers got jumpy, thinking I was working outside of the country. I told them I'm not an idiot, also that they have a record of sending other employees back and forth between Canada and the US without authorization, so even if I was doing it on my own and not telling them, what would it matter? Yeah. Former employer now. Jokes on them though, cause the eight cases of them doing it I had full documentation of it and sent it along to a few interested departments in both countr”
“I mean there is even a difference between work from home and remote.. many employers don't tolerate traveling at all, even within the country”
“If it is an office job, it will be one that you stare at the screen telling yourself this could all be remote.”
I would refuse to participate in this crap without hesitation :P
“The hardest part is feeling locked in the one company that offers it because if you wanna move you are also choosing going back to commute. You can withstand a lot of BS just because of remote”
“Do not open with the personal house angle or a pay cut. Lead with the business case: your performance bonus, the existing remote setup, no drop in output on WFH days, and a clear plan for hours, meetings, response times, and planned office visits. Ask for a 60 or 90 day remote trial tied to measurable deliverables, then review it with your boss. The house story can be context after that, but I would keep the main ask focused on keeping a high-performing employee rather than making an exception.”
“I've seen this before with differing reasons: 1) The company is already paying for on-site support. The manager doesn't feel the need to open up a potential security risk when they're specifically paying to avoid it. 2) They are trying to force a change in IT policy by demonstrating how it isn't working. They need to get evidence on how the policy of not allowing VPN access to support production is causing delays / problems in resolving issues. 3) Because security. The security p”
“For a W2 US employee, ask first, because “just bring the laptop abroad” becomes IT flagging your IP and Legal discovering a new hobby.”
“Biggest friction I have seen is not the manager, it is HR, payroll, tax residency, data security, and benefits coverage. Some US companies block logins from certain countries or require VPN and device compliance, and W2 status can get messy if you stay long enough to trigger local employment rules. Get written approval before you go and ask about allowed countries, max days abroad, and health coverage outside the US.”
“Firmly in the camp of don't try to fly under the radar. Here are some mechanics. There isn't any person monitoring connections and logins. Any decent company has security software that monitors connections. Software never sleeps. Just about every anomoly associated with remote work in the wrong place is identified and email goes out to IT people who start looking themselves. They will pull in your line management, HR, and legal. You'll show up in the weekly report to executive manage”
No cause my coworker almost got fired for doing this last year.
“My company won’t let you log into any of your accounts outside of the US, not even Canada unless you get prior approval and we disable a restriction from your account. A lot of employees will try to go overseas on “vacation” and try to work, many never request it and find out the hard way when they can’t sign in.”
“I cannot take my laptop out of the US unless it's for work-related travel reasons.”
“Don't. Not on moral grounds, that's your call, but because the reason employers say no is usually a real one, and getting caught tends to end the job rather than start a negotiation. The thing most people don't realise is that this isn't your employer being difficult about where you sit. If you're working from another state for a sustained period, you can create a taxable presence for the company there – permanent establishment – and they can end up owing corporate tax and ru”
“Yes! Honestly this is pretty much why I put up with my company for more than 4 years.”
“Not sure if every company operates that way, but there are a handful of companues that do what we do.”
“My company recently announced initiated a policy where all our equipment and logins, etc, would only work in America and Canada. My team is almost completely international (but living in the US), and this frustrates me quite a bit, as they were all getting their work done, and sometimes would continue to work from their country of origin (for a few days) so they could plan more extensive vacations. So… even if I wanted, they could not work out of country. Frustrating because I have a highly skil”
“You had me til non union. I also work for a large health care company and am switching in a week to remote but still kept my union.”
“Im also in the same boat but i dont have a laptop i have a desk top wonder how that would work 😅”
“Seems like a waste of water if I already know the laws of my country but I guess for your edification the AI replied: Yes, continuous or systematic recording of employee screens to monitor behavior or productivity is generally illegal in Switzerland. Under labor law and data protection regulations, surveillance systems designed to track employee conduct at work are strictly prohibited.”
“I was possibly a bit too vague, but it is certainly illegal in my European country. It's even illegal to use a surveillance camera to monitor performance of employees in person and you still have a right to privacy when using company devices.”
“I don't only work remote, but I am sitting in my house doing work for an organization right now. So yes I do, have, and will, work remote. As well as in my employers office and I have gone to clients offices.”
“I have been remote for 3 years now. I was never under any delusion that my company could not see what was happening on my work laptop, but 2 months ago leadership made us download and start using new software that records our screens and gives us productivity scores based on mouse movement and keyboard strokes. At first I figured it wouldnt be an issue because I was moving forward in my role, actually got a decent raise earlier this year during annual reviews and have no negative marks against m”