When Remote Work Becomes Surveillance: The Disappointment Behind “Body Doubling”

Monday, May 26, 2025

When Remote Work Becomes Surveillance: The Disappointment Behind “Body Doubling”

I recently heard from a loved one that their entire remote team is forced to sit on Zoom calls all day - silent, just to prove they’re actually there and working. No chatting, no collaboration, just the constant presence of faces on a screen. That hit me hard.

Having spent more than 20 years in IT, I’ve seen the evolution of remote work struggles firsthand. Early in the shift, clients asked how they could track what employees were doing - monitoring screens, logging keystrokes, and even resorting to mouse jigglers to keep computers “active.” So, when I read about “body doubling” becoming a workplace trend, I wasn’t shocked. But I was disappointed.

What Is Body Doubling - And Why Does It Matter?

Body doubling started as a supportive strategy for people with ADHD. The idea is simple but powerful: working in the physical or virtual presence of another person helps with focus, motivation, and task completion. It provides gentle accountability and reduces feelings of isolation - especially for remote workers who may otherwise feel disconnected.

But here’s the catch: what began as a voluntary, helpful productivity hack is now being pushed by some employers as a form of all-day video surveillance. Employees are expected to remain on video calls—not to collaborate or support each other, but simply to prove they’re at their desks and working.

The Media Says This Could Be The “New Normal” - But We Need to Say No

Lately, the press and industry commentators have been pushing the narrative that body doubling might soon become standard practice in remote work. They talk about its supposed benefits for productivity and focus, often glossing over the invasive nature of mandatory camera-on policies.

I want to be clear: we should reject this trend - firmly and loudly. Turning video calls into digital cages is not progress. It’s a step backward for employee autonomy, trust, and wellbeing.

Why This Is A Human Resources Problem, Not A Tech Problem

Technology itself doesn’t create productivity or laziness. People do. Slackers will find ways to slack, with or without cameras. Hard workers will deliver results, regardless of micromanagement.

The root issue is leadership and culture. When companies feel the need to police employees constantly, it signals a failure to build trust and foster accountability. Filling a team with people who can’t be trusted inevitably leads to a toxic cycle of surveillance and resentment.

Trust Really Matters - And It Pays Off

High-trust organisations don’t just feel better to work in - they perform better financially and operationally. Some eye-opening stats shared by a trusted HR colleague highlight this clearly:

• High-trust companies outperform their peers by 2.5 times in stock price performance (Harvard Business Review).
• Employees at high-trust companies experience 74% less stress and 40% less burnout.
• Trust can increase team performance by up to 50%, according to research from MIT and Carnegie Mellon.

Gallup’s findings further underline the power of trust in business success:

• Only 23% of employees strongly agree that they trust the leadership of their organisation.
• Teams with high trust levels show 2.5 times higher employee engagement compared to low-trust teams.
• Organisations with engaged employees (which correlates strongly with trust) see 23% higher profitability.

These numbers aren’t just stats - they’re a call to action for leaders everywhere.

The Real Cost of Constant Surveillance

Being on camera all day is stressful. It invades privacy, reduces autonomy, and kills creativity. Employees forced into this environment often feel dehumanised and disengaged.

Studies show that excessive monitoring can backfire - leading to decreased productivity, higher stress, burnout, and ultimately, turnover. Instead of creating focus and connection, mandatory “body doubling” breeds distrust and frustration.

What Employers Should Do Instead

The answer lies in human-centric leadership:

• Set clear goals and outcomes, and trust your people to deliver without watching their every move.
• Hold regular, meaningful check-ins focused on progress and wellbeing—not constant surveillance.
• Offer supportive tools like body doubling as an option, not a mandate.
• Invest in training, resources, and culture-building to empower teams to succeed remotely.
• Build trust by hiring thoughtfully and leading empathetically, rewarding results over hours logged.

Final Thoughts: Trust Beats Surveillance Every Time

Remote work is an opportunity to rethink productivity and connection. But turning video calls into all-day surveillance is not the answer. It’s a symptom of deeper leadership and HR failures.

We have a choice. We can push back against this invasive trend and demand workplaces built on trust, respect, and genuine support. Because at the end of the day, good leadership wins out over constant monitoring every single time.

If you want to talk about how to build trust and accountability without surveillance, or want help communicating this message in your own business, I’m here, and have many HR colleagues and peers that can support with this.