I Refused to Be Spied On at Work—Then HR Took It Even Further
More and more employees are speaking up about strict remote-work rules and the surprising ways companies try to enforce them. Stories about workplace surveillance, unusual HR decisions, and privacy concerns are becoming increasingly common as people navigate the new era of working from home. Recently, a reader reached out to I had signed a remote-work contract stating I was allowed to work only from my home address. When my neighbors began a major renovation and the noise became unbearable, I subscribed to a coworking space just down the street so I could focus.
A couple of days later, HR called me in: “We don’t pay you to wander! You violated the location rule.” (Turns out they track IP addresses the whole time, and mine showed I wasn’t at home.)
Shocked, I snapped: “This isn’t remote work. It’s a leash!”
The next day, I walked into the coworking space and froze. I saw someone from our HR department sitting there, at a corner desk with a laptop, badge, and a stack of company folders. He looked up, startled, recognizing me instantly.
Then he said something I never saw coming: “We’ve been sent here to inspect the space. Leadership wants to verify whether employees who violate the work-from-home rule are doing anything… inappropriate.”
I thought I misheard. But no—they proceeded to explain that HR had quietly subscribed to multiple coworking spaces in the city, using company funds, to spy on employees they suspected of working off-site.
They weren’t there for meetings. They weren’t there for networking. They were there to watch us! My stomach dropped…
The HR rep quickly added, “Please, don’t make a scene. This is confidential. We’re supposed to report anyone we find here… including you.”
Has anyone else encountered similar surveillance policies, or is my company the only one enforcing rules this extreme?
—Petra
