Microsoft tool watches staff and awards staff ‘productivity scores’

Microsoft has launched a new feature that allows employers to track the day-to-day activities of workers on an individual level.

The tech giant describes its Productivity Score tool as “a new service that can help accelerate your digital transformation by providing insights into how your organisation works", but privacy advocates warn it could herald a new era of workplace surveillance.

Enabling the tool allows employers to analyse the activities and performance of individual workers, revealing metrics like how many times they send emails or use the chat function.

It can even identify people who are not using their cameras during video conference meetings, as well as the amount of time people are spending online.