Employers can see everything you write in email as well as in Slack, Google Workplace, and Microsoft Teams wrctr.co/3ujaAFw
In several of their plans, Google & Microsoft each offer ways for administrators to track usage and metadata from users.
Such data includes what time you sign on, how many messages you send, how many calls you join, or what devices you use.
The services can also turn the data into measurements & user-activity reports.
In Google Workspace, this feature is called Work Insights, & in Microsoft 365 it’s Workplace Analytics (there’s also a personal version that managers can’t see called MyAnalytics).
These tools display aggregate data about how teams use the apps included in their respective suites—details such as how much time a team spends in specific apps, or collaboration trends based on who has accessed shared documents.
Microsoft recently received criticism for allowing managers to drill down to a specific user to look at their usage, but it has since removed the option to do so.
Some Google and Microsoft 365 plans also support third-party tools, such as Prodoscore, which “tracks the activities of each employee and calculates a productivity score based on their activity levels.”
According to an expert: “The main risk w/ 365 isn’t the data it’s collecting now, but the kind of workplace culture & expectations it'll create.
Microsoft Office products are the perfect Trojan horse for this—the ultimate mundane office tools, used by everyone, feared by no one”
“I worry that managers will get used to the data that 365 offers & start asking for more.
On the flip side, workers will get used to the expectation that every action they take is being tracked & logged, & find it harder to fight back as the surveillance becomes more intrusive."
Know what kinds of data your manager is collecting, & how your workplace might use it
If you feel comfortable doing so, ask your manager or HR department for details about how (or if) they get these reports.
For now, most people on small teams don’t need to worry about this topic, but it’s possible for the situation to change in the future.
(🧻 mini-thread) So, what makes a good deal on toilet paper?
According to the co-creator of the Toilet Paper Value Calculator: “After looking at hundreds of data points, I came to the conclusion that the deal price for quality toilet paper is:
Toilet paper manufacturers often use confusing terms to describe the strength & efficacy of their products.
So 2 hobbyist deal hunters, frustrated by unquantifiable TP marketing, created a calculator to determine which options are actually a good deal. wrctr.co/3dLdpcZ
Descriptors like “jumbo,” “super,” and “mega” are hard to quantify.
Some companies claim that one roll of their toilet paper is now the equivalent of four, or that their toilet paper is stronger or capable of cleaning better than the competition.
Even Kevin Purdy, who spent hours researching & writing our toilet paper guide, can’t make sense of the way toilet paper is marketed.
“I generally don’t trust ‘mega ultra super’ rolls. It seems like we’re being charged more for the same products.” wrctr.co/3qOMUqv
(THREAD) As COVID-19’s spread has prompted an expansion of work-from-home policies across various industries, the use of more-pervasive monitoring software, also known as “tattleware” or “bossware,” has increased.
A 2018 study involving 6 men in their 20s found that they fell asleep, on average, in 7½ minutes when they wore socks vs ~15 minutes when they didn’t.
The study also suggested that the socks allowed the men to sleep longer & wake up less during the night. wrctr.co/3amNVAl
In a 2007 Dutch paper, eight subjects with no sleep issues who were between the ages of 21 to 39 fell asleep, on average, in about 11 minutes when they wore socks to bed vs 16 minutes without. wrctr.co/2ZpqT5v
Our experts spend hundreds of hours researching, testing, & recommending the best gear to help you get better rest
So this week, we're diving into all things sleep related, from advice on napping to avoiding mattress sales traps
Here you’ll find our best advice, tips, and hacks for sleeping better.
How not to feel dead tired this winter? ✅
Your Ideal Sleep Position? ✅
How to make sleeping together suck less? ✅
Debunking dubious bedding claims? ✅
How to clean bed pillows? ✅