3 minute read
When you work from home, you (often unwittingly) amass a great deal of data about your activities. You’ll be able to recall exactly when you composed a certain document, or sent a certain email, or even logged onto your machine in the first place.
This information might seem entirely useless – but the truth is that it can often be called upon to resolve work-based conflicts and legal disputes.
The Workplace Is Now Digitally Documented
So, exactly which kinds of data are being generated, and why? You might think of the digital tools that you use to collaborate with colleagues. Under the hood, many of these contain a paper trail which details exactly when changes were made, and by whom. Dates, times, login attempts, and messages might all be relevant – and since the cost of storing these things is now so minimal, it makes sense that they be recorded forever.
When Messages Become Evidence
There are a number of cases in which digital messages might be used in evidence. For one thing, your employer might dispute whether a worker handed in a given piece of work on time. Or, an employee might claim to have been abused, discriminated against, or otherwise mistreated. For certain types of work, the number of hours actually racked up might determine the amount of money that changes hands – and so having a digital log might be crucial.
WFH Data and Performance Narratives
If you’re working from home, then you might seek to measure your performance against certain metrics. This might be the amount of time spent answering phone calls, the number of words that you type, or the number of specific problems that you solve.
A system that tracks these metrics is less vulnerable to mistaken assumptions. It will help to keep things fair, and to foster trust. This in turn will tend to improve productivity.
What an Employment Attorney Looks For
If your digital records are handled to an employment attorney, then they might find themselves looking for certain patterns. These might include a consistent approach to communication across different platforms, as well as patterns within single messages. If you have data that you can use as evidence, then getting the right guidance as early as possible can be very helpful.
What Employees Should Understand
To minimize the risk you face, of course, you should behave as though every aspect of your online behavior is going to be scrutinized. Keep your messages professional, and don’t delete them. If you take a casual approach to your work-related communications, then you might leave yourself vulnerable to formal repercussions.
What Employers Are Learning in a Remote-First Era
In an era dominated by remote working, the successful employers tend to be the ones who can communicate their expectations clearly, and keep track of the data they use. When data is properly governed, risk tends to be reduced.
