The Daily Telegraph has been criticised by the National Union of Journalists for carrying out “surveillance” on its journalists by installing devices that monitor whether they are at their desks.

Journalists at the newspaper’s London HQ arrived on Monday morning to find the boxes, which track whether someone is at their desk using heat and motion sensors, BuzzFeed reported. Telegraph management emailed staff at lunchtime, saying the monitors would be in place for four weeks to help plan measures to improve energy efficiency.

However, the NUJ’s assistant general secretary, Seamus Dooley, said the monitoring had no place in the office. “Employers must adhere to strict rules governing the collection of data in the workplace. Workers have very strong privacy rights and these must be protected. The right to be consulted on new procedures governing such data is enshrined in law. The NUJ will resist Big Brother-style surveillance in the newsroom.”

The devices, made by Blackburn-based firm Cad-Capture, are designed to help companies save money by reducing the number of desks, and provide a dashboard which shows when each desk is occupied.



The website for the product, called OccupEye, says: “With the global economic climate demanding that all organisations – large and small – find savings through increased efficiency, the pressure on property and accommodation managers has never been greater.”



The Telegraph memo, which Buzzfeed said was sent to staff after it got in touch with the newspaper, said: “Over the weekend we have installed a number of under-desk sensors across some areas in advertising, editorial, technology, production, newspaper sales and marketing. They will be in place for a duration of four weeks.

“These devices are part of our drive to make our floors in the building as energy efficient as possible and reduce the amount of power we consume for heating, lighting and cooling the building at times of low usage. Accordingly, they are designed to record occupancy across each 24-hour cycle for all seven days of the week to make sure we are making best use of our space in the building.”