Under the label “Workplace Analytics”, Microsoft has expanded the MyAnalytics service overview in its Microsoft software package 365 Approved. While MyAnalytics prepares statistics on resource utilization by users, the new Workplace Analytics overview provides additional insights into the work habits of employees. For this purpose, the software calculates a “Productivity Score” using various benchmarks.

The displayed findings are distributed over the so-called “Employee Experience” and the ” Technology Experience “. Employee-related information includes, for example, the percentage of users of a company subscription that save content in the Microsoft cloud or share files with external users. In addition, the technical information explains, for example, how much time is lost when employee PCs boot from conventional hard drives instead of SSDs.

Personalized score A podcast video from Microsoft also reveals functions for personal employee monitoring: For example, it is noted for each user how many days he received e-mails and Yammer messages sent and used chats and message channels. The video also shows the number of days on which he supplemented his mails with cross-references to other e-mail addresses.

Microsoft’s “Productivity Score” is also building to information on the work practices of the named employees.

(Image: Microsoft)

By default, the information contains the names, group affiliations and locations of the employees; the software anonymizes this data, as can be seen in the video, only optionally. In addition, Microsoft 365 apparently knows how long each user has activated his camera and shared his screen in video meetings. The example video only presents anonymous statistics, but these can only be derived from individually collected data.

Best Practice only with Microsoft Tools Together with the cloud-stored information from Microsoft 365 Admin center provides company administrators with information on opportunities for improvement. For example, you could encourage employees to share documents for teamwork via the cloud. On the other hand, the admin center evaluates the company-wide performance using the productivity score.

This documents over time how consistently “best practices” are applied for teamwork, but only takes into account Microsoft tools 365. Companies that switch from OneDrive to another cloud storage or from teams to another conference tool for data protection reasons, for example, should then receive a certificate of a drop in their productivity.

Admins can provide all information without notifying the users concerned see. With its comprehensive Office environment, Microsoft creates the possibilities for minute employee monitoring.

Violation of personal rights Bertold Brücher, legal expert at the DGB, explained to c’t: “Functions with which companies can examine the working practices of their office staff in detail contradict and violate the personal rights of employees, data protection and – if available – participation rights- and duties of works councils or staff councils. ” Brücher considers a legally compliant use to be excluded. Employers who use such systems without considering these aspects must be aware that they are behaving unlawfully, says Brücher.

c’t 25 / 2020 This article comes from c’t 25 / 2020. In it, the editorial team provides selection aids for TV purchases and a test of smart TVs. Lots of handouts and a test of current e-mail clients should help you to stay ahead of the daily flood of e-mails. At the navigation specialist TomTom, the editorial team has discovered a data leak and they are analyzing the surveillance pieces from Office 364. There are also many other tests and not to forget a whole bag full of nerdy gift tips for the upcoming Christmas party. c’t 25 / 2020 is now available in the Heise shop and at the well-stocked magazine kiosk.

(hps)