Bossware| Rise of the Performance and Assessment Filter: Microsoft Viva “Bossware,” Presence Status, and the Power of Surveillance Machines—Sleepers Awake!

Abstract

From public workplaces to private homes and worn intimately on the body, digital platforms and devices serve as vehicles for delivering information, performance data, and assessment of proficiencies. Each carries the potential to become a surveillance machine and acts as a manifestation of surveillance capitalism. For the purposes of this article, I conduct an in-depth analysis of the Microsoft e-mail services widely used in business and education settings where these tools are deployed as emerging exemplars. What follows is an empirical investigation of my recorded work habits captured from Microsoft Viva to evaluate workplace productivity and “identity construction.” I explore the recent trend in “bossware” or people analytics to critically assess the escalating collection of individual performance data and the implications of online “presence status” indicators. This study contributes to ongoing discussions about the evolving landscape of work and employment in digital, algorithm-driven societies and the role of data harvesting.