Workplace implements AI-powered cameras to track employee's every move, reprimands them for tiny details

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 15, 2026 4:30 PM EDT

Is it wrong to be surveilled at work?

When you clock into your job, you're being evaluated. It's part of the gig. If you work for a company, they're going to evaluate you and your performance, and that will include tracking your metrics. Maybe you can check in with your manager from time to time to update them on what you're doing. They want to know that you're doing your job, and you want to show them. It's a natural part of working somewhere. But where do we draw the line? Where do we define our discomfort around being observed? Do we get to have a say in how much we're looked at and evaluated, even at work?

The person in this story was up against that question and wasn't sure what they were going to do about it. They weren't sure whether or not what their employer was doing to them was within the regular bounds of work. They felt like they were being unfairly singled out, and they wanted that to change. It's not easy to stick up for yourself in the workplace. It's much easier to accept the status quo and not challenge it until you know if you're going along with something you really wish you hadn't signed up for.

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  • 01
    A security camera mounted on the side of a building
    via Unsplash+ (Mohamed Nohassi)

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

  • 02

    I found out today that my job is using Al cameras meant for asset protection to also use as workplace management trackers that tracks everything we do at work.

    Today I received an email referencing a specific day that I clocked out 15 minutes later than my scheduled time and I was flagged for not "working" during that 15 minute window. I thought this was weird considering at my job we sometimes have to leave a little later than our scheduled time due to the nature of the job
    via Matteozzz
  • 03
    (customer service heavy). This email was also a reminder that every time I do this again, I will be documented and written up for. This was the first email I ever received of anything like this in the almost 5 years of being with the company. I discussed this
    via Matteozzz
  • 04
    with my coworker and they also had a similar occurrence where they started receiving emails about the times they were taking their lunch were not during the "approved and scheduled time" (they were taking them before her 5th hour just not during when our employer scheduled it on the application we use to clock in and out).
    via Matteozzz
  • 05
    We were disclosed that these cameras were going to be used for asset protection and to protect us and the customers. My ass.... I'm disturbed and also frustrated that this was implemented at work with almost no one knowing that this could be used against us.
    via Matteozzz
  • 06
    Mass surveying of employees for the sole purpose of tracking productivity should seriously be illegal, how the f is this even a thing? How did we get here as a society where employers have more rights over our own privacy? Is there anything I can do? How is this even legal?
    via Matteozzz
  • 07
    A woman works at a warehouse
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • 08

    Commenters gave their takes and insight.

    Grant Winner_Extra It's bad policy but totally legal in the US anyway. Next time, request formal permission - send an email: "I am with a customer helping them mle a
    via Grant_Winner_Extra
  • 09
    purchase decision. Policy says I must clock out exactly at [Time]. Should I just leave or do I stay with the customer? Per your last email, if I don't get permission, I will just have to walk away from the customer mid-conversation.
    via Grant_Winner_Extra
  • 10
    Or something like that, real time. Alternately could get customer to complain about the policy.
    via Grant_Winner_Extra

  •  The saying goes, "the squeaky wheel gets the grease," so it can be worth making a little noise in order to get what you want. This is easier said than done, though. And it doesn't always have the effect you want it to. That's what happened in this story, where a service industry worker found out that their employer was implementing a new policy that put them in a strange place. They weren't sure whether just to take it in stride or to fight back against it. So they reached out to the internet for a little help, which it did its best to provide. Keep scrolling to find out what happened here and see what you think about it.

  • 11
    thenord321 The asset is rhe company's money, they are "protexting" it from wage theft, checkin times, schedule adherence, all bs micromanaging techniques. You ahould find and present them data that this kind if micromanaging leads to low moral and worse productivity long term.
    via thenord321
  • 12
    kissyb The malicious compliance would start and I would get my coworkers on board. Email them even for lunch breaks. Let's play
    via kissyb
  • 13
    oz_mouse You need to be looking for another job
    via oz_mouse
  • 14
    digiorno Human resources, they consider humans to be a resource and a resource is an asset. Hence when they track assets, they also mean they will track you.
    via digiorno
  • 15
    Moontoya Ive heard rumours to the effect that camera CCDs _ really_ dont like laser pointers being shone on them.
    via Moontoya
  • 16
    wraithnix Ugh. My company does the same thing, only without the Al. Once a month, we get an "audit" where someone watches all the cameras for an entire shift, and dings us for everything we mess up.
    via wraithnix
  • 17
    Mirrormaster85 Jesus, thats dystopian. Is that legal in Murrica?
    via Mirrormaster85
  • 18
    TDiffRob6876 Preventing theft of time is a form of Asset Protection. Most forms of theft are internal vs external.
    via TDiffRob6876

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job work coworkers working bad bosses toxic-work-environment
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