And then I read about the company requiring a spy app doing logging and regular snapshots. This seems so antithetical to everything else in your policy book (and a hard stop for me). Just curious, what is the reason for using it?
I suspect the purpose is the same as platforms like Upwork use it: to ensure they pay only for time you are moving the mouse or typing something. Time away from the computer (but where you could also be thinking about work) is not billed.
Since few people can stay 8 hours in front of the computer programming (even if working full time) , they hire you as a full time but only pay part time salary.
We pay full-time or part-time salaries based on an employee’s agreed-upon schedule and ensure compensation is fair and accurate.
We use Hubstaff primarily to track work across different clients and projects. The screenshot feature is enabled to allow team members to review their past activities for accurate tracking. Beyond that specific use, we don't review screenshots. We considered building an internal solution where screenshots would be stored locally, but ultimately decided Hubstaff meets our needs.
We also understand that valuable work isn't just about keyboard or mouse activity. Meetings, brainstorming, and time spent solving problems all count as billable hours, which we track through Hubstaff.
We're committed to a remote-first culture that empowers all team members and value open discussions about our practices.
Of course they care about privacy and therefore screenshots and URL recording can be enabled or disabled. Just not by the employee.