Management starts tracking employees' every move and forcing them to stay at their desks, their compliance cost the company $50k: 'We're doing exactly what they wanted - staying at our desks and not moving around'

Any time a manager tracks their employees' bathroom breaks, you know you've got a problem.

This company's management team somehow decided that the main reason why productivity was inconsistent across the board was that employees were taking too many breaks. How did they combat this? Well, they started using badge scanners to track their employees' every move, including accusing one employee of going to the bathroom too frequently when that person had medically documented stomach troubles. 

Naturally, this new policy was received by employees as a drastic overstepping of boundaries, and the backlash quickly ensued. What upper management did not anticipate, however, were the unforeseen consequences of forcing employees to essentially be chained to their desks at all times. One day, a machine in the office broke, but no one on the team went to check on it, since they were supposed to remain at their respective work stations. 

It turns out that as a result of this malfunction, the company had to front $50,000 in order to repair the machine and cover for production losses. Clearly, upper management was not expecting their badge scanner policy to spiral out of control in this way, but that's what happens when you make ridiculous demands from your employees.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10562304256
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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  • Sure, no one could have predicted the machine malfunction, but there certainly must have been a kinder and more productive approach to improving morale and productivity among the team. Making your employees feel like they can't go to the bathroom or break up their workflow is not going to solve company issues. It's only going to worsen workplace conditions. 

    The managers of this company may understand that now, but as JoJo once said, “it's just a little too late.”

  • "They tracked our bathroom breaks. Now nobody talks to management about anything."

    My company installed badge scanners at every door about six months ago. Said it was "for security purposes" but we all knew what it was really for. Two weeks later management starts having one on ones asking why certain people are "away from their desks so frequently."
    via GregB4789
  • Turns out they were tracking our bathroom breaks, how long we took for lunch, everything. My coworker got pulled aside because she was "spending too much time in the break room." She has IBS. That was a fun HR complaint.
    via GregB4789
  • But here's where it backfired spectacularly. People stopped talking to management about ANYTHING. Before, if you saw a problem or had an idea, you'd just walk over and mention it. Now?
    via GregB4789
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  • Nobody moves unless absolutely necessary. That means nobody's catching issues before they become expensive disasters.
    via GregB4789
  • Last month a machine broke down because nobody wanted to walk across the building to tell the supervisor about a weird noise. Cost the company $50k in repairs and lost production. When
    via GregB4789
  • management asked why nobody said anything, the response was "didn't want it to look like I was away from my desk too long."
    via GregB4789
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  • Cheezburger Image 10562304512
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Now they're doing mandatory "collaboration sessions" trying to figure out why communication has completely d We all just sit there in silence.
    via GregB4789
  • Nobody's explaining that we're doing exactly what they wanted - staying at our desks and not moving around unnecessarily.
    via GregB4789
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  • The tracking is still active. Communication is still d ■. It's honestly beautiful to watch.
    via GregB4789
  • Cheezburger Image 10562304768
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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