10 months ago
Cognizant Explores Tracking Employee Productivity via Mouse and Keyboard Activity
Imagine your computer knows when you're typing or moving the mouse.
Cognizant, a big tech company, is looking into using a special program to see how much their employees are working by tracking this activity.
They've even started a course to teach managers about these tools.
If you stop using your computer for more than 5 minutes, the system might think you're not working.
Right now, the company says they won't use this to judge performance, but rather to find ways to make work processes better for their clients.
Some employees are worried about privacy and feeling like they are being watched too closely.
However, companies often use these tools to help clients, and Cognizant says they will get employee permission.
Cognizant is exploring methods to track employee productivity by monitoring mouse and keyboard activity.
The company has rolled out a course for executives on workforce-management tools like ProHance.
An employee is marked idle if there's no activity for over 300 seconds and "away from system" after 15 minutes of inactivity.
Cognizant states these tools are used to understand client processes and identify inefficiencies, not for employee performance evaluation currently.
Concerns about employee privacy and micromanagement have been raised, alongside questions about mandatory training.
- Who
- Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.
- What
- Exploring tracking employee productivity through mouse and keyboard movement and rolling out training on workforce-management tools like ProHance.
- Where
- Cognizant, with a significant portion of its workforce based in India.
- When
- About a month ago, with ongoing rollout and internal discussions.
- Why
- To understand client process steps, assess process design inefficiencies, and respond to client demand for tighter controls and evidence of productivity in a hybrid model, alongside margin protection amid pricing pressure and wage inflation.
Employee Concerns
Company Stance
Mandatory Training & Consent
Employee Concerns
Some executives claim the course was mandatory and required a user acceptance click to complete, raising questions about genuine consent.
Company Stance
Cognizant states the tool will be used only after obtaining employee consent.
Privacy and Micromanagement
Employee Concerns
Employees express concern about privacy and "micromanagement," with one executive calling the level of tracking "unheard of."
Company Stance
A company spokesperson stated the tools are used at customer request to understand client process steps and assess process design inefficiencies, not for employee performance evaluation currently.
System Logout & Productivity Pressure
Employee Concerns
The system automatically logs employees out after a certain idle period, and executives feel pressured to complete a fixed number of hours for increased client billing and company productivity.
Company Stance
The company aims to improve understanding of client process steps and related time metrics to assess process design inefficiencies.
Key facts
- Company
- Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.
- Productivity Tool Explored
- ProHance (and similar workforce-management tools)
- Idle Threshold
- More than 300 seconds (5 minutes) of no keyboard or mouse activity
- Away from System Threshold
- 15 minutes of system inactivity
- Employee Count (September)
- 349,800
- Revenue (2023-24)
- $19.74 billion
Quotes
a second executive
An anonymous executive at Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.
“However, we are told to complete a fixed number of hours despite the breaks. The company has been doubling down on this since the last two months because the client and the company both want more productivity and more billing.”
livemint.com
“We received a mandatory course, which includes a user acceptance. We had to click on ‘I agree’ in order to complete the course.”
livemint.com
Phil Fersht
Chief executive of US-based IT research firm HFS Research
“First, client demand for tighter controls and evidence of productivity in a hybrid delivery model. Second, the shift to artificial intelligence (AI) is exposing process debt and idle time, so leaders want to establish a baseline before automating or rearchitecting work. Third, margin protection.”
livemint.com
“With pricing pressure and wage inflation, providers are using telemetry to reduce rework, improve schedule adherence, and defend SLAs (service level agreements).”
livemint.com
Peter Bendor-Samuel
Founder of the Dallas-based IT research and consulting firm Everest Group
““ProHance and systems like it are becoming common tools as firms seek to understand how the systems they provide their employees are used and where they can be improved. It is somewhat “big brother" like, and some employees have concerns about privacy and micro management.”
livemint.com
“Privacy is an issue, but micro management is not common if ever occurring.”
livemint.com
Cognizant spokesperson
A spokesperson for Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.
“We occasionally use various productivity measurement tools, a common industry practice, in select business process management or intuitive operations and automation projects, at the request of customers. The purpose is to help better understand the client process steps and related time metrics to assess process design inefficiencies.”
livemint.com
Sources
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