Are employers getting too involved in their workers' lives?

Employees have expressed a desire to get help and support from their employers — but when does it cross the line? 

Some employers are still insisting on monitoring their employees' every move through tools like "mouse tracking" and keyboard monitoring. But it's OK for employees to take short breaks — in fact, time away from screens can boost productivity. Employers need to learn to better trust their workers to get through their to-do lists without needing to breathe down their necks. 

"Instead of focusing on disciplining employees using keyboard togglers, organizations should shift their energy to focus on implementing programs that drive engagement," says Hannah Yardley, chief people and culture officer at employee engagement platform Achievers. "This tells employees that these work-life balance practices are not only welcomed by the organization, but embedded into its values." 

Read more about the benefits to leaving employees alone at work: Employers' attempts to monitor remote workers is backfiring

Of course, being too distracted at work is a problem — but workers are often finding the distractions aren't coming from their personal lives, but from the tools needed to get the job done in the first place. Nearly half of employees are distracted at least once every 30 minutes by their workplace tools, according to a research report from software company Unily, with almost a third being distracted at least once every 15 minutes by a workplace notification. 

"There's a real opportunity here to zoom out and understand how these tools can be used more effectively for their role," says Kaz Hassan, community and industry insights lead at Unily. "We have to figure out how to stitch all these things together to make flexible and remote working more sustainable, and end this culture where we always need to be 'on' and notified."

Read for more ways to simplify the tech experience at work to minimize distractions: 48% of employees said they're being distracted every 30 minutes

Beyond keeping tabs on an employees' work output, there are some areas where employees actually do want their employers to play a role. Morgan Stanley found that over 80% of employees believe their employer should be more active in helping with their financial issues. Offering a resource that supports their financial well-being and helps them make money goals can help them make tangible progress.  

Financial platform AfireFi is using AI to help employees make a financial plan: AI-powered questions and live help assist them in connecting with their "why," which encourages the short and long-term money habits they need to achieve them.  

Read more about how to support an employee's financial plan with the right benefits: Making money goals helps employees achieve financial wellness

Employers can't ignore that employees have lives outside of work, too — supporting them and their entire families should never be seen as a bad thing. Alice Potts, experience manager at EY, took advantage of the company's generous parental leave policy, a benefit program called Pathways to Parenthood, and the ability to work a flexible schedule in order to return to work after giving birth to her twins. 

"My phase of life changed, and I still was supported," says Potts. "And had I not found that support, I probably would have had to leave [EY] and find something else."

Read more about the benefits of family support on building a more loyal workforce: How EY supports parents beyond maternity leave