‘Bossware’ and burnout: The psychology of workplace surveillance, with Tara Behrend, PhD

In this episode of Speaking of Psychology, host Kim Mills speaks with Dr. Tara Behrendt, an industrial-organizational psychologist and expert on workplace surveillance, about the growing use of digital monitoring tools—commonly known as 'Bossware'—across industries. From keystroke trackers and facial recognition software to GPS-enabled devices for warehouse and trucking workers, employers increasingly use surveillance to boost productivity and safety. However, Dr. Behrendt warns that such monitoring often backfires, leading to burnout, unsafe shortcuts, and eroded autonomy, especially for lower-power employees. She highlights how surveillance distorts motivation, creates constant self-monitoring stress, and disproportionately harms those with less job security. While some monitoring can be beneficial in training or safety contexts, the current lack of federal regulations in the U.S.—in contrast to stricter laws in the EU, Canada, and Australia—leaves workers vulnerable. The episode explores how AI is making surveillance more invasive without necessarily improving accuracy, and offers practical advice for employees to protect their privacy and mental health, while calling for systemic change through federal worker protections. Key takeaways include recognizing that surveillance often measures the wrong things (like keyboard activity instead of output quality), understanding that constant monitoring leads to burnout and distraction, advocating for collective boundary-setting with teams, and supporting broader policy reforms. Dr. Behrendt emphasizes that the real danger lies not in the technology itself, but in how it’s used to control, dehumanize, and replace workers in the name of automation. The episode ends on a cautionary note: without intervention, the workplace may increasingly resemble a machine-driven environment where human judgment and well-being are sacrificed for efficiency.