UK firms adopt tracking tech to combat 'quiet quitting'

New data from Kinly's Trusted Connections 2025 report shows that UK businesses are increasingly utilising employee tracking technology to address concerns over 'quiet vacationing' and 'quiet quitting'.

The report highlights that 81% of UK businesses find employee monitoring effective in preventing 'quiet vacationing', which refers to employees taking unreported time off. This adoption rate surpasses the European average of 61%, indicating a more proactive stance by UK companies.

The implementation of tracking technology is not limited to the UK, but the UK's higher adoption rate suggests a significant focus on maintaining productivity and employee engagement. The study indicates that two-thirds (67%) of UK businesses believe monitoring also helps avert 'quiet quitting', where employees become disengaged at work.

The Kinly report, which surveyed 425 enterprise AV professionals in the UK, Germany, the Nordics, and the Netherlands, observes a notable increase in productivity due to tracking. It shows that 69% of businesses have seen productivity improvements among remote workers, while 66% report similar gains for in-office staff.

More than a third of organisations are investing in data platforms for remote working and in-office environments as they seek to further understand and enhance workplace efficiency. The report notes that 76% of enterprises are either collecting or planning to collect employee IP and location data, with 37% already doing so.

Despite these gains, there are concerns about the implications of employee tracking on morale and workplace culture. While 65% of organisations state tracking has improved employee wellbeing, the long-term effects on employee morale remain uncertain.

Approximately 61% of businesses report improved morale since adopting tracking technology. However, many question whether tracking alone is sufficient to foster a positive work environment or if additional cultural changes are required.

Furthermore, some businesses are re-evaluating their approaches to remote work, with 19% prioritising a return to office-based work by 2025. This shift prompts discussions on whether tracking is enough to address disengagement or if more comprehensive strategies are needed.

Katy Thorpe, Global People Director at Kinly, provided insights on these findings, stating, "Tracking can provide valuable insights, but it's not a substitute for strong leadership or a healthy workplace culture. Businesses need to ask themselves whether they are using data to support their employees, or simply to monitor them. The companies that succeed will be those that integrate analytics into a broader strategy — one that prioritises trust, engagement, and wellbeing — rather than relying on tracking alone to boost performance."

Thorpe emphasised the potential positive outcomes, saying, "As organisations continue investing in workplace analytics, with many adopting remote work data platforms and in-office analytics, the challenge will be ensuring that tracking drives engagement rather than erodes trust. Our latest findings suggest that while data and analytics play an important role in improving efficiency, it's the organisations that take a balanced approach — combining technology with a strong workplace culture — that will see the most lasting improvements in productivity and employee satisfaction."