From tracking keystrokes to video monitoring, most British workers are uneasy about new technologies being deployed to monitor employees’ productivity when working from home, a poll showed on Friday.

The global surge in remote working during the Covid-19 pandemic has increased demand for software that lets bosses keep tabs on their workers, raising concerns among privacy groups, trade unions and employees.

Two-thirds of workers in Britain would be uncomfortable with programmes allowing employers to check how often they typed on their keyboard, according to an online survey among 1,800 people commissioned by trade union Prospect.

Eighty per cent of respondents said they did not like the idea of cameras recording them when they sat in front of their home computer, while 7 per cent said they would feel uncomfortable if asked to wear devices that monitored their location. The survey conducted in September by pollster YouGov, also found 75 per cent of workers were wary about algorithms being used to evaluate candidates for recruiting and promotions.

While monitoring tools are not yet widespread in Britain, Prospect said their use was likely to become more common as firms switch to remote working on a permanent basis.

“We’ve had a few reports from members about employers saying they’re going to introduce new software,” Prospect research director Andrew Pakes said. “This appears to be a deeply worrying trend that is going to extend surveillance and intrusion into people’s homes and into their private lives.”

A common fear among employers is that without oversight their staff will slack off and productivity will fall, according to a separate study by academics at Cardiff University and the University of Southampton published in September.