In the IT profession, we’re warned about shoulder surfing. But what happens when the surfer, is a manager?

I’m not talking about the occasional check up. I mean LITERALLY looking over your shoulder while you work.

For more on this, watch the video at the bottom of the page.

A while back, I worked at a company where the manager would constantly monitor my screens. Sure, she had every right to see what I did. She was in charge, after all. My issue was with HOW she went about it.

Five or six times a week, she would walk into my team’s office and stand behind me. I don’t think she knew I could see her reflection on one of my monitors. She would constantly turn her head around, rubbernecking to see what I was doing.

Now, I wasn’t doing anything I wasn’t supposed to. But this woman was obsessed with my screens. One time she walked in to ask me “how my day was”. I answered her but she wasn’t even paying attention. The entire time she leaned over the top of my cubicle, trying to look at my monitors.

I don’t know what was so interesting. I was writing a test script!

I never called any attention to it. I knew I wasn’t breaking any rules, but it did bother me the way they spent their time literally watching over my shoulder.

I felt disrespected. If they hired me for the job, and I did it, then why spy on me? It’s not like they got reports of me breaking the rules or I did anything wrong. It made me feel undervalued. They treated me like a child that needed supervision.

Looking back, I shouldn’t have gotten so worked up over this. I felt like it was a blow to my dignity, but it’s the opposite. If your idea of leadership is random acts of reconnaissance then good for you! I don’t break the rules so I got nothing to worry about.

Most public jobs have more strict monitoring to make sure you aren’t abusing your work machine. Compared to that, having a Lookie Lou isn’t so bad.

But hey, I’m getting paid, right?

Now, should you leave if this happens to you? That’s a tough call. It really depends on how it impacts your mood and your work.

Having someone literally looking over your shoulder every day is distracting. But if you’re making decent money, and this is the only negative thing about the job, maybe stick it out. Hold out until better comes.

If you can’t find a way to adjust to this, and you can make a lateral move, go for it! Hell, even a lower paying job is worth it if you can get into a better environment.

Oh, and for all the managers, CEOs, team leads reading this:

Leave your coworkers alone. Go find something to do.

For more on this, watch the YouTube video below.

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Coding Fanatic

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