Woman Fired After Company Tracked Her Laptop Using Keystroke Technology

As the world navigates the post-COVID era, remote work has become an integral part of the professional landscape. With this shift, employers have embraced technological solutions to monitor and manage employee productivity. One such tool that has gained prominence is keystroke technology. However, the implementation of this technology has sparked debates around privacy, ethics, and the balance between surveillance and productivity.

Keystroke technology, at its core, is a tool used by companies to monitor and analyze the sequence and timing of key presses on a computer keyboard. Its primary objective is to provide employers with insights into employee activity, including software usage, task completion, and time allocation.

By monitoring keystrokes, employers aim to ensure adherence to company policies, prevent misuse of company resources, and mitigate security risks such as data breaches.

In the wake of remote work becoming the norm, some companies have adopted keystroke technology as a means to maintain accountability and productivity among their remote workforce. However, the widespread use of this technology has raised concerns regarding its impact on employee privacy and autonomy.

One particular case that brought these concerns to the forefront is that of Suzie Cheikho, a long-term employee of Insurance Australia Group (IAG). For nearly two decades, she contributed her expertise to the company, managing responsibilities ranging from generating insurance documents to meeting stringent regulatory deadlines.

Despite her long-standing commitment, her performance while working from home (WFH) became a point of contention, ultimately leading to her termination in February last year.

After 18 years of dedicated service, Cheikho found herself unexpectedly terminated based on data collected through keystroke monitoring. The company alleged discrepancies in her work hours, typing speed, and overall productivity, leading to her dismissal.

While employers have a legitimate interest in ensuring employee productivity and adherence to company policies, the invasive nature of keystroke monitoring raises questions about employee autonomy and privacy rights. Employees like Cheikho may feel unfairly targeted and scrutinized, leading to feelings of mistrust and resentment towards their employers.

In response to her termination, Cheikho took to social media platforms, particularly TikTok, to voice her grievances and seek support from the online community. Her videos shed light on the emotional toll of losing a job under such circumstances and the challenges of navigating unemployment in the digital age.

"This has never happened to me before, and for what?" she said in a now-deleted video on TikTok. "Something that’s very emotional and very private, I never even spoke about it on social media. I’m literally getting harassed through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok, like what do you want me to do? I can’t get a f**king job," she said.

According to allegations, Cheikho reportedly arrived late to work on 47 occasions, logged out early on 29 occasions, and fell short of her scheduled work hours for 44 days. Furthermore, there were four days where she did not record any work hours at all. Her average keystrokes per hour were reported to be only 54, indicating a level of productivity below expectations.