If using this to track our every move why aren’t all bands (3 and 4 specifically) required to use it if not directly tied to production? Seems to me if they are looking to cut people this would be where to start - if your Verient consistently shows you are more idle than not maybe you are disposable more than others.
I am not talking the downtime because of reading an email and gathering your thoughts or listening to a recorded team meeting you missed. I am talking about the people who WAH and log in early in the morning then go about the morning getting breakfast, showering, walking the dog - THEN actually starting work or napping during the day. We all know installing Webex on your phone can help it “appear” as if you haven’t stepped away from your desk but if Big Brother can actually TRACK you are not at your desk why not leverage it as needed? I HATE Verient but if it is for some it should be for all and used the same across the board.
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@OP Everything is tracked and they are not transparent and are dishonest about what/why it’s tracking. Too much idle time, you’re questioned. Too much busy time, you’re questioned. Too many repetitive keystrokes, management will question it and then monitor activity for months. If there’s no change, there are questions. If there’s a change and keystroke decrease, they question why. Can’t win and any way to rectify or change the behavior is met with additional scrutiny. All of this while exceeding idle time metrics, productivity and quality results. I think they are simply looking for any reason at this point to fire workers in lieu of layoffs and these are not Band 1 and 2 employees. You can work 50+ hours/week and all they really question is why someone is in a document with repetitive keystrokes for longer than normal periods of time.
@mf Switchbot makes a keyboard clicker. Doesn't plug in so it's undetectable. Only concern is if you're subjected to screen recording.
@b3 it's not here to stay and is actually going away this year! My org owns the software implementation and we've already signed with a new company.
It’s very easy to write a simple script that starts on login, runs in the background, and virtually presses the shift key every 4 minutes (240000 milliseconds) so you won’t appear idle. Been using one of these almost since I joined the company. Bonus points for a stop script you can use when actually away from your desk at lunch.
More complicated but useful is to have a script that reads from a long text file and types it in to a Word document. Starting this manually and running it in the foreground is recommended so you won’t accidentally ki-l your password and require a call to the help desk and password reset. Bonus points if you have several long text files and it randomly picks one each time you start the script. More useful for wfh than in the office.
Wait until you get Teams. There is no way to extend the idle time from 5 mins, so if you are reading something, talking to a colleague (even work related), in a meeting but not typing or moving your mouse, it goes to idle. It's frustrating. I have to read documentation a lot and it appears I'm away a lot.
@dy you must be real fun at the parties.
When you can complete your job function, help others with theirs and still be done with everything in 6 hours, what difference does it make? As long as the job gets done. And what about those that work some throughout the day, then have deployments at night? It is their boss' job to manage the work and times. So what may appear as people not working may be people actually doing real work more hours than you.
Absolutely! These crooked employees taking advantage of this magnificent corporation, that's done nothing but to bend over backwards to benefit them. Have they no heart?
@av well, when you're a band 4 working from home doing nothing all day, you can't help but notice your coworkers are also doing nothing. He-l, my band 5 boss leaves early every week to go play golf with other Cigna employees but takes his phone to look active. I'll get downvoted for this, but no wonder they're laying us off... Especially with how much money we make.
What is verint? Is it on everybody’s computer? Asking for a friend…
@a2 LOL
@OP Here’s the thing. Verient is here to stay. I am sorry you are subjected to it, regardless of what band you are. It will never be “across the board” because some department heads have more pull to push back or trust their teams. Are some people taking advantage of working at home but not actually “ working”? Sure. Is there a lot of that happening? Maybe. Can anything be done about it. Absolutely not. Unless you are at the top and / or a decision maker the best advice I can give is to make yourself as relevant as possible. It may help you be saved if it comes down to you or the next guy. There are no guarantees with this company so you may want to brush off that resume, quit worrying about Verient, and become relevant. .
Methinks people here are watching their coworkers too closely and not their own jobs.
@a2 I was on a team of Band 4s and the roles do not require us to be “out of pocket” as we are not client facing I know for a fact many go to hair appointments, vet appointments, and grocery shopping during standard work hours. Are we exempt? Sure. But does that mean we should be able choose the hour and days we work? If this was the case why does the company require anchor days if you are in office. I don’t agree 100% with OP but can see their point to an extent. Seems like you just have to find a department that allows for the flexibility and trust in their department-although that seems to be far and away these days.
@a5 uhhh. I AM a band 4. Not that hard to be hired in as a 4. Duh
How about you get to band 3 or 4? It’s not that hard
@OP This is giving me "Im suffering so my coworkers have to suffer too" energy. Its a manager's job to be aware of their employees and if they are contributing at a satisfactory level. Not a software with false positives (as others have already pointed out), and certainly not yours.
I get that you're worried about being layed off but turning on your coworkers isnt going to help in the long run.
@OP if they have Cigna phones then they are monitored and tracked. They have gps tracking and keylogged. Of some people still abuse the privilege but far more don’t and are actually working.
@OP band 4 and up aren’t always at their computers . They are in face to face meetings and negotiations. When you see them idle it could be being lazy but it is more likely they are working differently than you.